From Climate Worry to Community Action

It is common knowledge that Pakistan contributes only 1% of carbon emissions globally, but we still face the most dreadful effects of climate change worldwide. If we fact-check this statement, there’s more to it than the picture we see. Even if we emit less than 1%, we still haven’t improved; rather, we have increased our carbon emissions by many folds. Climate change is no longer a far-future idea but a current reality that we all are living right now, and without adequate safety measures, we will have far worse consequences than we are experiencing right now.

The Seasonal Cycle of Dread

For the youth of Punjab, it’s no longer an invisible threat; rather, it has become a seasonal cycle of climate effects. In summer, heatwaves in cities like Multan and Faisalabad are going crazy, making record-breaking entries. In winter, smog in big cities like Lahore and now Rawalpindi affects the daily lives of children and youth alike. This is causing many accidents and leading to lockdowns as a temporary solution.
The Smog Lockdown Effect

Lahore, the city of gardens in Punjab, has been called one of the most polluted cities in the world. The Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached hazardous levels year after year, causing forced school closures while winter smog leaves people isolated within their homes. This is no longer an environmental issue; it has also become a psychological one. This feeling of intense isolation triggers a sense of tension reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Rationality of Eco Grief

This feeling of eco-grief or eco-anxiety (the chronic fear of environmental downfall) is a rational, deep empathy towards our beloved Punjab and how policy inertia and environmental degradation are failing it.

Eco Digital Advocacy as a Safe Space

Digital advocacy on climate change and environmental awareness not only acts as a form of therapy but also provides a safe space for youth of Punjab and, on a higher level, for the youth of Pakistan, helping them turn their feelings into something positive for themselves and other youngsters. Creating eco-communities to connect like-minded youth, delivering youth mobilisation, fostering eco-volunteerism, and becoming climate ambassadors.

The Digital Spark

A person’s transition from reading or watching the aftereffects of monsoon floods or ongoing climate-induced droughts to advocating and volunteering for climate action creates a sense of micro-agency (taking climate change concerns and turning them into climate action) that helps with psychological acceptance and a sense of achievement.

The Healing Power of Action

All of a sudden, the same youth who were spending their time scrolling at night are now waking up around dawn to help with community-led plantation drives in Rawalpindi, sharing ideas and implementing rainwater harvesting initiatives in Murree (Punjab), carrying out cleanliness drives along the banks of the River Ravi, and helping with fundraising and sorting relief packages for flood-affected families in Punjab.

The Efforts of the Punjab Government in combating Climate Change

The Government of Punjab, and especially CM Punjab Ms. Maryam Nawaz, has constantly been putting in efforts to advocate for climate change and not only creating awareness but also providing climate solutions through the CM Punjab Climate Internship Program, which is helping create environmental ambassadors. In addition, the Punjab Clean Air Program, Smog Control and Monitoring, and the Green Punjab App and Helpline are a few examples of the many steps taken by the Punjab government and its authorities, including the Environmental Protection Department (EPD).
Bridging Plains and Peaks

The same climate change that affects Punjab also melts glaciers in the north, causing damage in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the same water has the capacity to disrupt agriculture in Punjab. At such a critical time of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), the already empowered youth of Punjab don’t just sit and watch; rather, they work shoulder to shoulder with their mountain brothers to help them overcome their grief.

The story of climate change in Pakistan is changing from being just about people suffering passively to being about young people taking charge and showing their strength. The journey from spending a stressful night scrolling through bad news in a smoggy Lahore apartment to being on the front lines, helping during a glacial lake outburst flood relief mission in Gilgit-Baltistan, shows a big change in how people think and act. For the youth in Punjab, using the internet to talk about climate issues has grown from just being a way to protest politics into something important for staying safe and helping each other feel better mentally.

By moving from climate change to climate action, this generation is learning that while feeling worried about the environment is normal, it doesn’t have to stop them from taking action. They are showing that even though the climate crisis seems huge and scary, it can be handled when people come together with local and shared goals. As the plains of Punjab and the mountainous areas face more environmental problems than ever, it's this group of young, caring advocates who offer the most hope. By speaking up online and taking action to heal the earth, a whole generation is quietly helping itself, community by community, tree by tree, and riverbank by riverbank.