Infographics

Climate Change and Rapid Glacial Melt in Pakistan

Date: September 23, 2015

Mounting evidence suggests that anthropogenic or manmade causes have accelerated the pace at which glaciers retreat all over the world. Pakistan’s mountainous north is covered by as many as 5000 glaciers, many of which are not retreating, but remain exposed to greenhouse gases that are bound to have an adverse effect. Pakistan’s own carbon footprint is negligible, but its coping mechanisms in the face of disaster are largely inadequate. Glacial melt has catalyzed numerous natural disasters in Pakistan, including the devastating flood of 2010 and more recently the flash floods in Chitral District this July. The frequency of extreme events driven by climate change has increased manifold over the last decade and poses grave new challenges for policy planning.

The images for this infographic were sourced from the internet.