“Nature has given you everything; you have got unlimited resources” is a quote by Quaid-e-Azam, the founding father of Pakistan, that is often bandied around in my country. This quote eloquently sums up the relationship of my community with nature, which is perceived as a powerful force impacting all aspects of our lives, including economic, social, and political domains.

The abundance of natural resources is generally viewed as a blessing that needs to be harnessed for national prosperity and wellbeing. As Pakistan is primarily an agrarian economy with 42% of the workforce employed in agriculture, people’s financial wellbeing is highly dependent on nature. A slightly prolonged drought or unexpected torrential rains can wreak havoc on a farmer’s life and also cause ripples in the economy through impacts on exports, GDP, government funds for development works, and more. Therefore, we in Punjab – the land of five rivers – also look upon nature with awe and a sense of fear at its unpredictability. This viewpoint has gained more momentum recently due to air pollution and changes in weather patterns linked to the onset of climate change.

Unfortunately, our overall approach to challenges driven by nature is hindered by lack of awareness in the larger community and inaction by those with some awareness. Recently, Lahore was ranked as the second most polluted city by the World Air Quality index, with air quality levels equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. Consequently, my community received an unpleasant jolt, which is now serving as a wakeup call to tackle environmental problems that have resulted from taking nature for granted. There is an emerging understanding that we cannot simply keep drawing on nature’s resources without taking into account the consequences of overuse of natural resources and pollution.

Awareness campaigns have been led by NGOs in the form of a climate march and exchange of information among community members about safety measures such as wearing masks. Government and NGO initiatives like tree plantation drives finally seem relevant and necessary to community members. People can now relate to Greta Thunberg’s call for climate change strikes and are demanding serious action from the government. Our complacent, nonchalant approach towards nature, especially among the youth, has been dramatically altered and replaced with a positive endeavor to repair the damage inflicted upon nature’s harmony by previous generations.

I see hope in the shift of my community’s approach to nature from something merely to be exploited for economic gain to an entity that needs to be actively taken care of. Recent events have left us with no choice but to protect nature. I hope that in this new year, my community becomes part of the global drive to tackle environmental challenges and help maintain nature’s balance.