Karachi Rains: A Mother’s Not-So-Subtle Reality Check on Pakistan’s Climate Mess

So, picture this: last week, Karachi’s sky got moodier than a teenager denied WiFi. It started with a sweet little drizzle, all innocent, and then—bam—full-on monsoon meltdown. I basically turned into Usain Bolt, sprinting out to grab my kids from a school that, naturally, is miles away. By the time I made it there, the city was a mess: traffic frozen, bikes half-submerged, cars doing their best imitation of stranded whales, and a whole army of parents and kids shivering and soggy on the sidewalks, totally over it. Getting home? That was just round one. The power was out (classic … Continue reading

Climate Change Impacts in North Africa

In North Africa, rising temperatures associated with climate change are expected to decrease the land areas suitable for agriculture, shorten the length of growing seasons and reduce crop yields. The decrease in annual precipitation that is predicted for Northern Africa in the 21st century will exacerbate these effects, particularly in semi-arid and arid regions that rely on irrigation for crop growth. Whilst extreme events associated with climate change, like floods and droughts, will probably set economic development back many years, approaches to climate change adaptation are not usually aligned with development issues. Climate change mitigation will divert resources from programmes … Continue reading