2 Big Challenges of Pakistan

Pakistan is at the crossroads Climate change and population growth are two big challenges that stand on its way to achieving its dream of becoming a strong and self-sustainable economy. Both are long term issues that have a direct impact on the economic stability, productivity as well as sustainability of Pakistan.

Pakistan Economic System under Increasing Pressure

The economic recovery of Pakistan is dedicated majorly to inflation or trade deficits or foreign investments. However, these problems are symptoms of structural problems. Climate change and population growth are two of the gravest ones.

The population of Pakistan has already surpassed a population of 250 million and it is still rising by approximately 2.5 percent per annum. The high rate of population growth is putting more demands on employment, food, shelter and medical care than the economy can sustain. Millions of youths come to the labor market every year, and there is a lack of employment opportunities.

At the same time climate change is transforming the physical and financial environment. This leads to increased floods, droughts, heat waves and unpredictable rainfalls in the country. These weather extremes are what are destroying infrastructures, causing damage to crops and turning more families into poverty. The cost of economy is staggering and billions of dollars are squandered every year in agriculture, energy and industry.

Population Growth: The Economic Menace That Goes Fundamentally

Uncontrolled population growth is one of the major threats to the economic development of Pakistan. Although young population can be an asset, it is a liability when it lacks education, employment, and medical services.

The growing population of Pakistan puts a strain on all the resources such as schools and hospitals, electricity and water. The rates of population growth are very high and the government has no option but to spend more money on basic needs instead of investing in industries, innovation and technology. What gets acquired is the choked development and growing inequality.

Pakistan needs to nationalize the control of population in order to open the economic potential of the state. The family planning, education of women and health awareness can be invested to ensure that the birth rate is reduced and millions of people would live a better life.

Climate Change: The Economic Enemy You See

Even though the population growth is putting a silent strain on the resources, climate change has its devastating effects, which are visible. Sindh floods, Balochistan droughts, and Punjab heatwaves demonstrate how climate disasters could ruin the Pakistani economic development within one season.

The agriculture sector that has a significant number of the population is especially at risk. Alteration in temperature and rainfall impacts on the production of wheat, rice and cotton which are major exports that generate foreign exchange. Failure of crops leads to high food prices, reduced exports as well as increased poverty of rural people.

Other sectors that are feeling the heat are the industrial and energy sectors. The issue of climate change upsets water supply to factories and power production as well as the extreme heat slows down the productivity of workers. All these losses undermine the economic base in Pakistan.

The Connection Between Climatic Change and Population

The key to the matter is that climate change and population growth do not exist independently of each other but they support one another. With the growth of a population, the area required to house and farm increases hence deforestation and degradation of the environment. This devastation in turn exacerbates climatic change as a vicious circle that harms the economic pillars of Pakistan even more.

Another common issue is water scarcity. An increasing population is increasing water needs whereas climate change is reducing glaciers and changing rainfall. Pakistan may be hit by extreme water crises in a space of ten years unless serious measures are taken to control the situation, both in the agricultural sector and in cities.

The Economic Consequences

The population growth and change in climatic conditions are having a synergistic effect of dragging the economic growth rate of Pakistan. It is true that the government can set the GDP goals high but just very difficult to achieve when natural disasters ruin the products or when millions of individuals have lost their employment.

Part of the most noticeable economic effects are:

• Food insecurity and reduction in agricultural production
• Increased expenditure of government on relief and reconstruction
• More poverty and rural urban migration
• Instability and lack of resources will decrease investor confidence

In case these trends are maintained, professionals declare that the economic growth of Pakistan may decrease to the level of not being able to satisfy the basic needs of its people.

What Needs to Change

The country needs to come up with policies that directly deal with population increase and climate change to ensure its future. To put Pakistan on the right path to economic recovery, the following measures may be taken:

Population Management:
Promote smaller families, by educating people about it, by providing easy access to health services and by empowering women. The steady population implies improved education and employment.

Climate Resilience:
Enhance preparedness to disasters, enhance flood protection and embrace water-conservative farming methods. Green energy and crops resistant to climate change would save the environment as well as the economy.

Green Investment:
Transition to clean energy such as solar and wind. Green projects are becoming popular among international investors and Pakistan can take advantage of this shift.

Education and Skills:
The increasing population can be an asset in case individuals are competent and marketable. Vocational training and technology education should be used to develop demographic pressure into productive force in the growth of the Pakistani economy.

Institutional Reforms:
Strong governance is key. Clear institutions are in a better position to control resources and attract investments and also implement laws on environmental protection.

Voices From Experts

All economists, climate scientists, and policymakers feel that addressing the issue of population growth and climate change is the only way of ensuring that economic growth in Pakistan is sustainable. They claim that such short-term solutions which are based on financial fixes will not fix the problems.

Experts have indicated that the economic harm occasioned by climate-related catastrophes such as floods can lower the growth of a nation to a half a percentage point annually. In the meantime, when the population is not controlled, Pakistan might find it difficult to offer most of its young people who join the labor market every single year.

The New Vision of the Economic Growth in Pakistan

The future of economic stability in Pakistan is a sustainable approach which would put into consideration the environment and balance growth with population. It should not only aim at increasing GDP rates but also resilience in the long run and the quality of life.

There are other developing countries that have managed to balance the environmental policies with the economic reforms, and this is what Pakistan can learn. The country can control the effects of the climate change and stabilize population growth through encouraging renewable energy, efficient water management, and investing in human capital.