While climate policy is largely focused on agriculture and infrastructure, children who suffer remain marginalized.
LAHORE:
The term “climate change” usually connotes flooded plains, destroyed crops and lost livelihoods. Yet the real victims of natural disasters are the children whose hopes for the future are dashed by melting glaciers.
Fourteen-year-old Ayesha has witnessed climatic disasters terrible enough to make her lose all color of life. Standing on the roof of her house in the theme park district of Lahore, she looks up to the sky, not to find the sun, but to see nothing except a yellow haze. As the smog season begins in Lahore, even breathing is difficult.
Ayesha is one of millions of Pakistani children who are the first and most vulnerable victims of climate change. Just like his house, his school was also destroyed in the recent floods. She is now studying in a temporary school, but she fears that her classes will be suspended again when the smog returns. “I want to study. But sometimes the floods come, and other times the smog sets in,” complains Ayesha.
Clinical psychologist Fatima Tahir explained that environmental disasters, displacement and economic hardship have profoundly affected children’s mental health. “Cases of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress are increasing sharply in communities affected by floods and smog. Nearly half of the affected children have difficulty sleeping, concentrating and regaining self-confidence,” Tahir said.
Pakistan’s climate struggles have become a real crisis. Record temperatures, unprecedented flooding and prolonged 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, the Punjab Child Welfare and Welfare Bureau appears to have no defined role in protecting children from climate-related harm. Iftikhar Mubarak, executive director of Search for Justice, said provincial governments must urgently develop child-centered climate action plans, with clear targets, timelines and dedicated budgets. “We don’t need declarations, we need results. We need to think about how children can survive, learn and stay safe in a changing climate,” Mubarak implored.
According to child protection activist Rashida Qureshi, climate change is escalating 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 isolation, 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 linked 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 assured.
Dr Rabia Chaudhry, a public policy expert at Forman Christian College University, called this a neglected dimension of Pakistan’s political landscape. “Climate change is often seen through the prism of roads, dams and energy projects, while its human toll, particularly on children, is overlooked. Until government, civil society and academic institutions collaborate in research and dialogue, developing child-friendly climate policies will remain out of reach,” Dr Chaudhry noted.
Sheherazade Amin, legal advisor to the National Commission on Child Rights, 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 since girls suffer the most. Flooding and pollution have weakened access to education and health care, while increasing the risks of early marriage and forced labor. Without including girls in decision-making, no sustainable solution is possible,” said Amin.
As dusk sets in, Ayesha comes down from the roof. The smog has thickened, but she raises her hands to the sky as if to remind him of a promise. “If everyone works together, maybe tomorrow’s sky will be blue,” she muttered. Perhaps his simple hope is the spark from which a safer and brighter Pakistan can emerge.
