As climate policy focuses primarily on agriculture and infrastructure, suffering children remain marginalized.
LAHORE:
The phrase “climate change” often evokes flooded plains, destroyed crops and loss of livelihoods. However, the real victims of natural calamities are children whose hopes for the future are devastated by melting glaciers.
Fourteen-year-old Ayesha has witnessed weather disasters terrible enough to drain the colors of life from her eyes. Standing on the rooftop of his house in Lahore’s theme park area, he looks up at the sky, not to find the sun, but to see nothing but a yellow haze. As the smog season begins in Lahore, even breathing becomes difficult.
Ayesha is one of the millions of Pakistani children who are the first and most vulnerable victims of climate change. Like his house, his school was also destroyed in the recent floods. He now studies in a temporary school, but fears that his classes will be canceled again when the smog returns. “I want to study, but sometimes the floods come and other times the smog sets in,” Ayesha complains.
Clinical psychologist Fatima Tahir explained that environmental disasters, displacement and economic difficulties have deeply affected children’s mental health. “Cases of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are increasing sharply in communities affected by floods and smog. Almost half of affected children have difficulty sleeping, concentrating and trusting,” Tahir said.
Pakistan’s climate struggles have become a full-blown crisis. Record temperatures, record flooding, and prolonged seasons of smog have eroded the childhoods of countless children. Yet most national and provincial climate policies remain focused on energy, agriculture and infrastructure, not to mention children.
Surprisingly, the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau appears to have no defined role in protecting children from climate-related harm. Iftikhar Mubarak, executive director of Search for Justice, opined that provincial governments must urgently develop child-focused climate action plans with clear goals, timelines and specific budgets. “We don’t need statements, we need results. We must think about how children can survive, learn and stay safe in a changing climate,” Mubarak implored.
According to Rashida Qureshi, a child protection activist, climate change is intensifying not only physical but also social risks for children. “When families are forced to migrate, children, especially girls, face increased risks of violence and exploitation. In Pakistan, child protection frameworks and climate policies operate in silos, leaving children exposed and unprotected at the policy level,” Qureshi said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 36 percent of illnesses among children in Pakistan are related to environmental factors. Without investments in clean water, clean air and adequate sanitation systems, neither the health of children nor the future of the country can be guaranteed.
Dr. Rabia Chaudhry, a public policy expert at Forman Christian College, called this a neglected dimension of Pakistan’s political landscape. “Climate change is often seen through the lens of roads, dams and energy projects, while its human cost, particularly on children, is overlooked. Until government, civil society and academic institutions collaborate on research and dialogue, formulating climate policies that take children into account will remain out of reach,” Dr Chaudhry said.
National Child Rights Commission Legal Adviser Sheherazade Amin, referring to the commission’s strategic plan, noted that climate change had now been incorporated into the commission’s core mandate.
“Climate impacts are not equal, as girls suffer the most. Floods and pollution have weakened access to education and healthcare, while increasing the risks of early marriage and forced labor. Without including girls in decision-making, a sustainable solution is not possible,” Amin opined.
As the sun sets, Ayesha comes down from the roof. The smog has thickened, but she raises her hands toward the sky as if reminding her of a promise. “If we all work together, maybe tomorrow’s sky will be blue,” he murmured. Perhaps your simple hope is the spark from which a safer, brighter Pakistan can emerge.
