V. Imp # **Detailed SUMMARY of the Article "Breaking the Climate Silos," by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Dawn, February 13th, 2025**: The article highlights the shared climate challenges faced by South Asia, emphasizing that climate change transcends national borders. Pakistan ranks among the world's most climate-vulnerable countries, but the issue extends across the region, affecting millions. The recent Dawn Climate Change Conference underscored the importance of regional cooperation in addressing these challenges, encapsulated by the slogan: *"Let’s weather the change—together."* The article stresses that interconnected ecosystems—such as river flows, glacial melt, and monsoon patterns—link South Asian nations, making climate resilience a regional priority. It discusses examples of cross-border climate impacts, including cloudburst incidents, floods, cyclones, and air pollution, demonstrating how environmental crises rapidly evolve into regional and global concerns. The piece also explores non-traditional security threats, such as climate-induced migration and disease outbreaks, which demand coordinated responses beyond conventional national security frameworks. It calls for integrating local knowledge with global finance, leveraging traditional practices for climate adaptation, and fostering climate-resilient trade policies to mitigate economic shocks. Additionally, the article underscores the role of media in shaping climate discourse, advocating for nuanced reporting that connects climate governance with daily life. Ultimately, it argues that South Asia’s climate resilience depends on regional collaboration, shared learning, and proactive governance, urging Pakistan to enhance local government capacity for climate adaptation. # **Easy/Short SUMMARY**: The article discusses how climate change affects all of South Asia, not just individual countries. It highlights how shared ecosystems like rivers, glaciers, and monsoons make climate issues a regional concern. Examples include floods, cyclones, and pollution, which cross national borders. The article emphasizes the need for cooperation to tackle these challenges, as climate change also impacts migration, health, and trade. It suggests using local knowledge alongside global funding to find solutions and encourages better media coverage to raise awareness. The key message is that South Asia must work together to build climate resilience. # **SOLUTIONS of The Problem**: ## **1. Strengthening Regional Cooperation** Develop collaborative agreements among South Asian nations to share data, strategies, and resources for climate resilience. ## **2. Integrated Climate Policies** Ensure that climate policies consider regional impacts and encourage joint efforts in disaster response and adaptation. ## **3. Leveraging Traditional Knowledge** Promote the use of indigenous climate adaptation practices, such as water conservation and sustainable agriculture, to combat environmental changes. ## **4. Climate-Resilient Trade Policies** Establish flexible trade agreements to facilitate cross-border food supply during climate-induced shortages. ## **5. Investment in Local Adaptation** Empower local governments and communities with funding and technical support for climate adaptation projects. ## **6. Strengthening Disaster Preparedness** Develop early warning systems and coordinated response plans for climate disasters such as floods and cyclones. ## **7. Media’s Role in Awareness** Encourage media to provide in-depth coverage of climate governance, adaptation strategies, and community-led initiatives. ## **8. Cross-Border Water Management** Enhance cooperation on river basin management to prevent floods, droughts, and conflicts over water resources. ## **9. Sustainable Urban Planning** Implement policies to make cities more resilient to heatwaves, floods, and air pollution, learning from successful models in South Asia. ## **10. Climate Education and Public Engagement** Increase climate awareness programs in schools and communities to promote sustainable behaviors and resilience-building strategies. # **IMPORTANT Facts and Figures Given in the Article**: - South Asia is the global epicenter of climate vulnerability, affecting millions of people. - Regional climate events like cyclones, floods, and air pollution transcend national borders. - The Indus River flooding in 2022 demonstrated how upstream climate changes impact downstream communities. - Climate change affects trade, with Pakistan’s emergency vegetable imports from India being a recent example. - Regional trade could boost Pakistan’s GDP by 1% if climate-resilient policies are implemented. - The success of climate response depends on regional collaboration rather than isolated national efforts. # **MCQs from the Article**: ### 1. *What was the key message of the Dawn Climate Change Conference?* A. Climate change is a local issue. B. Countries should handle climate issues individually. *C. Regional cooperation is essential to tackle climate change.* D. Climate change does not impact economic policies. ### 2. *Which of the following is an example of cross-border climate impact mentioned in the article?* A. Forest fires in Australia B. Hurricanes in the US *C. Flooding in Pakistan due to upstream glacial melt* D. Droughts in the Middle East ### 3. *How can South Asian countries improve climate resilience?* A. By working in isolation B. By ignoring traditional knowledge *C. By strengthening regional cooperation and sharing resources* D. By relying solely on global financial aid ### 4. *What role does the media play in climate action, according to the article?* A. Focusing only on disaster coverage B. Reporting only on international climate policies *C. Raising awareness about climate governance and adaptation strategies* D. Discouraging public engagement in climate action ### 5. *How can climate change affect trade in South Asia?* A. By making trade unnecessary B. By reducing the need for emergency imports *C. By creating shortages that require flexible trade agreements* D. By making all countries self-sufficient # **VOCABULARY**: 1. **Silos** (noun) (علیحدگی): Systems or processes that operate separately from others, lacking coordination. 2. **Transcend** (verb) (حد سے تجاوز کرنا): To go beyond limits or boundaries. 3. **Ecosystem** (noun) (ماحولیاتی نظام): A community of living organisms and their environment. 4. **Glacial Melt** (noun) (گلیشیئر پگھلنا): The melting of glaciers due to rising temperatures. 5. **Permafrost** (noun) (مستقل جما ہوا زمین): Ground that remains frozen for long periods. 6. **Non-traditional Security Threats** (phrase) (غیر روایتی حفاظتی خطرات): Challenges like climate change that affect national and regional stability. 7. **Adaptation** (noun) (مطابقت): Adjustments made to cope with environmental changes. 8. **Mitigation** (noun) (تخفیف): Actions taken to reduce the severity of a problem, such as climate change. 9. **Resilience** (noun) (لچک): The ability to recover from difficult conditions. 10. **Stakeholders** (noun) (مفاد یافتگان): People or groups with an interest in a particular issue. 11. **Sustainable** (adjective) (پائیدار): Capable of being maintained over the long term. 12. **Governance** (noun) (حکمرانی): The way rules, policies, and decisions are made and implemented. 13. **Cross-border** (adjective) (سرحد پار): Involving two or more countries. 14. **Synergy** (noun) (ہم آہنگی): The combined effect of different elements working together. 15. **Scarcity** (noun) (کمی): A shortage of resources. 📢 **Attention Please!** We appreciate your commitment to acquiring knowledge through our summaries. 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Click the link below to join now: 🔗 [Dawn Article Summaries](https://cssmcqs.com/dawn-editorials-articles-summary-for-students-pdf-download/) *WhatsApp Channel Link* [https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y](https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va7tT3o35fLnJeFbpS2y) www.dawn.com Breaking the climate silos Ali Tauqeer Sheikh 7 - 9 minutes AS the winter smog blankets our cities from Lahore to Delhi, and farmers from Punjab to Bihar watch shifting monsoon patterns upend centuries-old agricultural practices, we are reminded daily that climate change knows no borders. While Pakistan ranks amongst the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, this challenge extends across South Asia, home to the world’s largest concentration of climate-vulnerable populations. South Asia has emerged as the global epicentre of climate vulnerability, with scientific evidence showing unprecedented chan­g­es in regional weather patterns and ecosystems. Dawn Media Group’s climate change conference last week in Islamabad was a learning hub, and a melting pot of ideas presented by over 100 learned speakers. For me, the key takeaway was best distilled by the conference slogan: ‘let’s weather the change-together’. This message is at its strongest when it comes to the regional aspect of the climate crisis. Our common destiny is written in the geography we inhabit. From the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea, we share ecosystems that have shaped our civilisations. Our futures are inextricably linked through common environmental systems that transcend national boundaries. This interconnectedness manifests itself in multiple ways. River flows, whether in abundance and causing floods or scarce and leading to droughts, affect communities across borders. Recent cloudburst incidents in the upper catchment areas resulted in cascading losses and damage across the downstream communities of Sialkot (2020), Uttarakhand (2021), Nowshera (2022), Hunza and Himachal Pradesh (2023). They exemplify the trans-jurisdictional nature of climate extremes. When glacial lakes burst in Nepal, the impacts ripple through Bihar and Bangladesh. When Cyclone Yaas (2021) struck the Bay of Bengal, its effects were felt in Odisha and West Bengal. Cyclonic storm Biparjoy (2023) changed its mind at the last minute and made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat, India, after particularly affecting Thatta, Badin, and Karachi with heavy rainfall and strong winds. Such persistent challenges cannot be effectively addressed through isolated national actions. The common threats facing our region are numerous and growing. The common threats facing our region are nu­­merous and growing. We are witnessing dramatic changes in snowfall patterns and receding glaciers, with permafrost thaw adding new dimensions. Monsoon patterns that have historically defined our agricultural rhythms, are becoming increasingly erratic. Surface and groundwater availability has become more uncertain across the region. The regional nature of climate impacts extends beyond immediate environmental effects. The migration patterns of the Rohingya to Karachi or the spread of epidemics like polio from Afghanistan have cross-border implications and demonstrated how environmental challenges can rapidly transform into regional crises requiring globally coordinated responses. Understanding the nature of these non-traditional security threats is crucial. They are neither purely domestic nor entirely interstate issues. The global climate discourse has often overshadowed our regional and domestic conversations, sometimes at the cost of local solutions and regional approaches. These challenges need not result in zero-sum outcomes but can, instead, present opportunities for win-win solutions that benefit all participating nations. This is particularly significant because the climate crisis poses non-traditional security threats that cannot be addressed through conventional security approaches. Traditional knowledge often transcends our geographical borders. Farmers across the region from Chitral to Tamil Nadu still rely on shared traditional methods to predict weather patterns. The catastrophic floods of 2022 in Pakistan demonstrated this interconnectedness vividly. As the Indus river swelled beyond its banks, the ensuing disaster highlighted how changes in upstream glacial melt and rainfall patterns affect communities downstream. Similarly, when farmers in Indian Punjab light post-harvest fires, the resulting smog affects air quality, depending on wind patterns and atmospheric dispersion over the distance, and spreads across the region —Lahore, Karachi, Lucknow and parts of Bihar were all affected. Addressing these challenges require complex, prolonged and collaborated approaches. It dem­a­nds ‘intelligence’ — the engagement of the knowledge economy and diverse stakeholders. This necessitates the integration of local knowledge with global finance, not the other way around. The key to such shared challenges lies in prioritising local knowledge while leveraging international resources. Rising sea levels are threatening the sub-continent’s coastline from Khulna and Cox’s Bazar to Odisha and Mumbai to Thatta and Badin; the solutions must come from communities that have lived there for generations. Climate events increasingly shape regional trade patterns in South Asia. Pakistan’s emergency imports of vegetables from India during extreme weather-driven shortages demonstrate the immediate need is for climate-resilient regional economic policies that facilitate timely trade responses during weather-induced scarcities. It is estimated that regional trade could boost Pakistan’s shrinking GDP by one per cent. The media plays a crucial role in fostering this regional understanding. Climate change is fundamentally a development issue, and readers need to understand its governance, political economy, and implications for their communities. While co­­v­­erage of disasters remains important, people inc­reasingly seek deeper, more nuanced coverage of embedded climate governance for national de­­vel­opment policies that connect climate resilience with daily lives and equitable development. People want to know how communities in Chen­nai are managing water scarcity, how Ahmadabad has addressed urban heat islands, and how Dhaka or Mumbai is protecting vulnerable populations from floods. From the tea gardens of Assam to the mango orchards of Multan, from the fishing communities of Kerala to the mountain farmers of Swat, climate change affects us all. Our response must reflect this shared reality. There is growing interest across the region in innovative responses. Communities across the region are developing solutions that others can learn from. In several countries, the governments are encouraging locally led adaptation to reduce vulnerabilities. Pakistan, however, has still to de­­velop and resource local governments to prom­ote locally led adaptation for resilience. This pre­­sents an opportunity for media to facilitate regional learning through syndicated columns, regular solution spotlights and regional roundups. The message from Dawn’s conference was clear: the success of our response to the climate crisis will depend not just on individual national actions, but on our ability to work together as a region, learning from each other’s experiences, and building on our shared heritage of resilience and adaptation. The writer is a climate change and sustainable development expert who participated in Dawn’s recent Breathe Pakistan conference in Islamabad. The column is based on discussions at the conference. Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2025