Pakistan's Climate Crisis: Beyond Environmental Concerns to Economic, Social, and Cultural Resilience
Following devastating natural disasters due to climate change in Pakistan, Sumaira Malik highlights how the country's creative and cultural industries play a crucial role in climate adaptation and promoting environmental sustainability. Discover how the arts and culture sector, together with stakeholders, foster a greener future through continued awareness-raising initiatives, community engagement and sustainable practices.
This article is commissioned as part of culture360.ASEF.org's Going beyond 'green' open call. Through a series of articles and podcasts, we look at various endeavours, insights and trends that broaden the discourse of sustainability beyond the environmental aspect within the arts and culture sector.
In 2018, Pakistan was identified as the 18th largest emitter of greenhouse gases, as highlighted by the Carbon Brief profile. By 2022, the country faced catastrophic floods attributed to climate change, resulting in an estimated $30 billion dollars in damages. These devastating losses have left Pakistan, which is already grappling with economic instability and an energy crisis, in a precarious position.
The 2022 floods had a profound impact on the province of Sindh specifically, disrupting cultural and creative festivals due to widespread displacement and loss of life. Despite this, the effect on artists themselves remains largely undocumented. A review of official social media channels from Sindh’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, as well as other regional music festivals, revealed little acknowledgment of how the floods affected artists.
This crisis underscores the need for both public and private sectors to take urgent action to mitigate the effects of climate change. In the aftermath of the 2022 floods, creative communities and artists have stepped up to raise awareness about global warming through their work. Although still in its early stages, Pakistan's creative and cultural industries (CCI) have shown immense potential to educate and engage communities on sustainable practices and climate adaptation without any government aid or their guidelines.
The lack of funding and absence of provincial government policies addressing climate change prevention or recovery for the creative and cultural industries exacerbate the challenges faced by artists. Regional and folk artists, who already struggle with marginalisation, receive even less attention and support compared to mainstream Urdu singers in urban centers.
Even in Karachi, artists who lost their studios to urban flooding in 2020 were left without governmental support. While urban artists can often pivot online to reach audiences and sustain their livelihoods, regional artists face greater obstacles due to limited language and digital skills. This disparity highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to bridge the digital and policy gap, ensuring that all artists, regardless of location or medium, can thrive in the face of climate adversity.
Lahooti Melo 2024: Sustainability in Action
To address climate change challenges in rural Sindh, Lahooti Melo 2024 emerged as a groundbreaking festival promoting environmental and cultural sustainability. Held in Hyderabad and Sukkur, the festival featured performances by celebrated artists like Mai Dhai, Faris Shafi, Umair Jaswal, and the Leo Twins. Beyond the performances, panel discussions tackled critical topics such as preserving the Karoonjhar Mountains, permaculture, and reclaiming heritage through art. These sessions reflected the festival’s commitment to integrating culture with environmental awareness, reaching communities deeply affected by the floods.
1. Lahooti Melo 2023 concert © Lahooti Melo
Karachi Biennale 2024: Art as a Voice for Sustainability
Karachi, Pakistan's largest metropolis, notorious for its recurring urban flooding, has emerged as a hub for climate change advocacy through its vibrant cultural initiatives. The Karachi Biennale 2024, curated by Waheeda Baloch — the first female curator of this prestigious event— highlights the powerful intersection of creative arts, cultural preservation, and environmental sustainability.
Waheeda Baloch underscored the indispensable role of women in ensuring food security, particularly within ethnic communities like Sindh’s fisherfolk. These communities, known for their environmentally friendly traditions, face mounting threats from climate change, severe flooding, and depleting natural resources, including fish stocks. Women, as the custodians of these eco-friendly practices, play a vital role in sustaining traditional knowledge and contributing to food security. Their contributions must be celebrated and recognised through cultural and creative festivals on both national and international platforms.
Despite logistical challenges and limited infrastructure, the Karachi Biennale 2024 effectively addressed the theme Rizq/Risk: Food, Future, and Fair Practices. The event brought the issue of food security to the forefront, using interactive installations to engage diverse audiences. Notably, the Biennale’s exhibits involving school children served as an impactful tool to educate the younger generation about climate change, sustainability, and food equity. Hundreds of children actively participated in thought-provoking displays, fostering awareness and encouraging future advocacy for these pressing issues.
2. Karachi Biennale 2024 interactive session with fisherfolk of Ibrahim Hyderi at Frere Hall Karachi. © Sumaira Malik
Sustainability Through Culture: Festivals as a Catalyst for Environmental Awareness
One of the most significant challenges for cultural festivals and the Culture Ministry is attracting new and diverse audiences in Karachi as well as in rural areas. Engaging people from various socioeconomic backgrounds, especially those with limited exposure to the arts, requires targeted and innovative approaches. For example, raising awareness through regional languages can bridge communication gaps and foster inclusivity. In Pakistan, where many rural communities primarily speak their native dialects, this strategy can encourage participation from underrepresented areas.
Interactive art installations can play a transformative role in addressing complex topics like climate change and sustainability in rural regions. For instance, a climate-themed mural or a mobile art workshop in Sindh's small towns could educate communities on the importance of environmental conservation in ways that are relatable and visually engaging.
Making festivals free of charge is another essential step to ensure inclusivity. While this often means a financial loss for the organisers, it enables greater participation from individuals who may otherwise be unable to attend. For example, during the Karachi Biennale, free entry allows students and low-income families to experience contemporary art and culture that they might not otherwise encounter.
Improved infrastructure for cultural festivals could also catalyse cross-city tourism, reducing the urban-rural divide and boosting local economies. For example, holding festivals in cities like Hyderabad, Sukkur, or Larkana could generate jobs in hospitality and travel sectors. The Culture Ministry could support this by initiating festival-specific tourism buses, making it easier for people from rural and remote areas to participate. Importantly, such a service would also contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint by encouraging shared transportation over individual car usage.
Highlighting these eco-friendly initiatives during festivals can educate the masses on the importance of sustainability and inspire them to adopt practices that minimise their carbon footprint.
Such festivals can also inspire youth to consider careers in creative and cultural industries. For instance, by attending workshops or exhibits on global environmental challenges, young participants can learn to express their perspectives on these issues through art. This exposure not only nurtures artistic talent but also encourages a generation of creative professionals who understand and can address critical social and environmental concerns.
3. Karachi Biennale 2024 folk artist performance. © Sumaira Malik
Fostering Sustainable Cultural Festivals: A Call for Eco-Consciousness and Capacity Building
Cultural festivals in Sindh are increasingly highlighting the impacts of climate change on agriculture, historical sites, and displaced artists. However, persistent challenges such as inadequate funding, limited human resources, and security issues continue to hinder their growth and effectiveness. Most festivals rely heavily on sponsorships and international funding to meet global standards, which often results in compromises in logistics, event management, and security measures.
To ensure long-term sustainability, it is imperative for these festivals to become financially independent, reducing their reliance on external funding. This shift is critical to adopting eco-friendly practices and fostering environmental consciousness. Government bodies and cultural ministries must take a proactive role by introducing policies that enable festival organisers to integrate sustainable practices into their planning and execution.
Art, artists, and cultural festivals also bear the responsibility of reducing their carbon footprint. This requires deliberate efforts to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into every aspect of event planning.
Capacity-building programmes should specifically address the need for eco-conscious event management in both urban and rural areas. These programmes can include repurposing heritage sites, tackling security challenges, and equipping volunteers and event coordinators with the skills needed to organise large-scale sustainable events.
Universities can play a pivotal role by offering hands-on training opportunities for students, enabling them to volunteer at festivals. This not only benefits the festivals through enhanced human resource capacity but also provides students with valuable career-oriented experience.
Through the synergy of awareness-building and sustainable practices, Pakistan’s creative industries can drive transformative change in the fight against climate change. Investing in environmentally conscious approaches not only benefits artists and organisers but also sets the stage for a greener, more inclusive future for the nation.
About the Author
Sumaira Malik is a filmmaker, cultural expert, and advocate for gender equality in the creative and cultural industries. With a rich career that includes collaborations with the London International Documentary Festival and the 60 Seconds International Film Festival, she has been at the forefront of using film and arts to drive social change. She initiated the Film Department at Indus University, ensuring equal enrollment opportunities for girls to study film as a professional degree. Sumaira represented Pakistan as an Asia Pacific Expert for Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) in the UNESCO Capacity Development Program on the 2005 Convention in Seoul, South Korea. As a National Specialist for CCI in Pakistan, she has developed methodologies and tools for data collection, designed strategies to address gaps in policies, and advocated for opportunities within the cultural and creative industries. Sumaira also worked as a social scientist with the Vasl Artists’ Association on the research residency "In the Times of Pandemic: Surviving & Reflecting during a Global Crisis." As a Core Committee Member for SEMSA (South-East Asian Media Studies Association), her focus has been on youth outreach, gender balance, education, and mobility through multidisciplinary creative outlets. In recognition of her leadership, she was awarded the Gender Changemaker Fellowship, amplifying her impact on gender-sensitive policies and programs. Most recently, Sumaira has been a key contributor to the Karachi Biennale 2024, where her expertise is shaping the intersection of art, food security, and sustainability, making arts accessible while addressing critical social challenges.