With climate policy focused largely on agriculture, infrastructure, children suffering remain sidelined
LAHORE:
The phrase “climate change” usually brings to mind flooded plains, destroyed crops and lost livelihoods. Yet the true victims of natural calamities are the children whose hopes for the future are washed away by melting glaciers.
Fourteen-year-old Ayesha has witnessed climate disasters terrible enough to drain the colours of life from her eyes. Standing on the rooftop of her home in Lahore’s Theme Park area, she looks toward the sky, not to find the sun, but to see nothing except a yellow haze. As Lahore’s smog season kicks in, even breathing feels difficult.
Ayesha is one of the millions of Pakistani children who are the earliest and the most vulnerable victims of climate change. Like her house, her school was also destroyed in the recent floods. She now studies in a temporary school, but she fears that her classes might be suspended again when the smog returns. “I want to study. But sometimes the floods come, and other times the smog settles in,” complained Ayesha.
Clinical psychologist Fatima Tahir explained that environmental disasters, displacement, and economic hardship have deeply affected children’s mental health. “Anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress cases are rising sharply in flood- and smog-hit communities. Nearly half of the affected children are struggling with sleep, focus, and confidence,” said Tahir.
Pakistan’s climate struggles have become a full-blown crisis. Record-breaking temperatures, unprecedented flooding, and extended smog seasons have eroded the childhoods of countless children. Yet most national and provincial climate policies remain focused on energy, agriculture, and infrastructure, with no mention of children.
Surprisingly, Punjab’s Child Protection & Welfare Bureau appears to have no defined role in safeguarding children from climate-related harm. Iftikhar Mubarak, Executive Director of Search for Justice, opined that provincial governments must urgently develop child-centered climate action plans with clear targets, timelines, and dedicated 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,” implored Mubarak.
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 higher 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,” said Qureshi.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 36 per cent of illnesses among children in Pakistan are linked to environmental factors. Without investment in clean water, clean air, and proper sanitation systems, neither children’s health nor the country’s future can be secured.
Dr Rabia Chaudhry, a public policy expert at Forman Christian College University, called this a neglected dimension of Pakistan’s policy landscape. “Climate change is often viewed through the lens of roads, dams, and energy projects, while its human toll, particularly on children, is overlooked. Until government, civil society, and academic institutions collaborate on research and dialogue, child-sensitive climate policymaking will remain out of reach,” noted Dr Chaudhry.
Legal advisor to the National Commission on the Rights of Child, Sheherazade Amin, while referencing the commission’s strategic plan, noted that climate change had now been incorporated into the commission’s core mandate.
“Climate impacts are not equal since girls suffer the most. Flooding and pollution have weakened access to education and healthcare, while increasing risks of early marriage and forced labor. Without including girls in decision-making, no sustainable solution is possible,” opined Amin.
As dusk settles, Ayesha climbs down from the roof. The smog has thickened, but she lifts her hands toward the sky as if reminding it of a promise. “If everyone works together, maybe tomorrow’s sky will be blue,” she muttered. Perhaps her simple hope is the spark from which a safer, brighter Pakistan can emerge.
