‘Climate Change, Conflict Compound Threats in Afflicted Regions’

News Desk 

Islamabad: During an interactive dialogue held on the sidelines of the 55th session of the UNHCR, speakers emphasized the interconnectedness between conflict and the climate crisis, stressing the need for a comprehensive approach from the global community to address both issues concurrently.

The speakers underscored the growing concern regarding the perilous link between conflicts and the climate crisis, noting that the impacts of climate change are particularly pronounced in regions with high military presence.

Highlighting the situation in the Indian-occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir, where there are reportedly over 900,000 troops, speakers expressed concerns about the significant military presence exacerbating environmental degradation and hindering efforts to address pressing environmental challenges.

They pointed out that the deployment of troops and associated military activities not only negatively impacts the lives of Kashmiri residents but also contributes to habitat loss, deforestation, and pollution in the region.

In essence, the speakers called for concerted efforts to mitigate the environmental consequences of conflict and address the climate crisis in regions affected by heavy military presence, emphasizing the need for holistic solutions and international cooperation.

The expansion of military facilities, they said, has played a significant role in contributing to ecological problems.

“The use of heavy weapons, explosive materials, and mines in ecologically sensitive areas by the Indian forces has been the main cause of deforestation, soil erosion, and pollution,” they said, adding that all these factors together disrupt the balance of ecosystems and affect local weather patterns.

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Terming the continued conflict as the biggest threat to the biological diversity in the region, the speakers said that it was high time that the international community should realize the dangers of the conflict and its devastating impacts on the region’s climate as well as on its people and play its much-needed role to address these issues simultaneously.

They said that issues such as the melting of glaciers, shrinking water bodies, reducing groundwater levels, and water scarcity in the region underscore the urgency of tackling these issues on an urgent basis.

The speakers, while calling for an effective mechanism and strategy to address these issues, said that the climate crisis and conflict present an existential threat to the people living in conflict-hit regions like Kashmir.

The interactive dialogue, which was arranged by International Action for Peace and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Kashmir Institute of International Relations, the World Muslim Congress, the International Muslim Women Union, and the YCP, was attended and addressed by international law experts, journalists, and rights activists from different parts of the world, including Sardar Amjad Yousuf, president of IASPS, Robert Fantina from Canada, Dr Waqas Ali Kousar, Sheni Hamid from the UK, Catherine Constantinides from South Africa, Ahmed Qureshi, APHC leader Faiz Naqashbandi, Dr Shugufta, and others.