Climate Change Impacts on Crop Productivity and Endangering Pakistan Future

Climate study is very important as all life forms survive in this world due to favorable climatic conditions and any change in climate will affect all biological lives around the world by altering forests, crop yields and water supplies. Climate is the average measure of variation in meteorological variables in a particular region over long period of time (usually 30 years). These variables include temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, precipitation, solar radiation, etc.

Agriculture is the main source of feeding for whole world and Pakistan and agricultural crop production has always been dependent on climate and its variables in particular region. The key effects of climate change include changing patterns of crop production, changing patterns of rainfall, changing agricultural zones, increasing average temperatures, changing length of the seasons, floods and droughts. Pakistan has more diverse ecosystem, a varying climate ranging from sub-zero temperatures in the north to above 50°C in the south and it has a large farming sector with a high level of dependence on irrigation.

By 2050 it could lose 50% of its wheat productivity. Recent ranking by International organization Maplecroft of UK has placed Pakistan at 28th amongst those that will be most severely affected. World Bank, climate change experts warned Pakistan of five major risks related to climate change. Those include rise in sea level, glacial retreats, floods, higher average temperature and higher frequency of droughts. Agricultural crops will face different vulnerabilities due to climate change which may include, less crop yield due to heat stress on crops by increased temperatures, crops will face water shortages due to increased evapotranspiration and low rainfall in dry areas, ecosystem will show uncertain rainfall patterns, frequency of extreme climate events like floods, droughts and cyclones will be increased. Therefore, climate change is a reality and a foremost challenge for researchers, academia, planners and policymakers alike. Pakistan ranks 135th in carbon dioxide emissions), methane (hydrocarbon gas), nitrous oxide (produced by soil cultivation practices, fertilizers), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), (synthetic compounds of entirely of industrial origin).

BY:Muhammad Nazim