Humanitarian Crisis and Intervention: Securitizing Environmental Challenges in Pakistan

Abstract

The issue of environmental security has become a threat and gained momentum since the end of the cold war. Climate change leads to environmental crises such as water scarcity, droughts, food shortages, and economic loss. This paper seeks to evaluate the environmental crisis of Pakistan as well as provide insights for overcoming this issue. This paper is a theoretical study that uses the methodology of discourse analysis and implements the framework of RSCT in redefining security. Therefore, this research is an attempt to answer what are the challenges to the environmental security of Pakistan, how climate change is affecting the different sectors in Pakistan as well as highlights the measures to tackle Pakistan’s environmental security challenges. This paper broadens the definition of security from military aspects to humanitarian aspects. The security of the environment is essential for states because it can give rise to other issues such as economic loss for states and other violent conflicts. Environmental insecurity can badly influence the socio-economic conditions of Pakistan. The economy has also declined due to water scarcity agriculture sector is affected. Therefore, environmental insecurity poses a direct threat to Pakistan’s national security.