Research Methods Cont’d

Islamic Relief researchers also engaged with experts through both informal discussions and key-informant interviews. Some of these experts included local and high-level agricultural and women’s development political representatives as well as climate and gender experts working in, or closely with Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change

For the purposes of this report, Islamic Relief Canada (IRC) researchers traveled to the following cities and their surrounding areas for primary data collection:

• Islamabad, Punjab, Pakistan

• Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan

• Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan

• Bagh and Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)

Regions were selected based on environmental challenges as well as the feasibility of local Islamic Relief Pakistan teams to facilitate Islamic Relief Canada researchers. The security situation was also a significant variable as our researchers were on the ground during a time of political transition. As a result, it should be noted that our data collection in Rawalpindi was not as expansive as other regions and limited to focus groups.

Research Process

Our primary objective of this study was to speak to individuals in Pakistan – especially women and girls – about the impact of climate change on their lives to:

1. Understand the impact of Islamic Relief’s climate-adaptive programming and identify areas for improvement where necessary, and

2. Better understand the policy changes that must be taken to respond to climate change

All participants gave their prior informed consent to participation and researchers explained that they had the right to refuse to answer any questions, redact any statements they made, and withdraw from the process altogether at any point. Confidentiality was guaranteed, and as such, any names that are used in this report have been changed.

Islamic Relief Pakistan organized and facilitated the focus group discussions, providing staff who already had a rapport with participants to act as translators for IRC researchers. Islamic Relief local teams also ensured that a psychological support worker was present to provide psychological support during focus group discussions, should discussions cause discomfort or distress to research participants. 6

Focus group discussions were simultaneously translated between Urdu and English, and other local languages where necessary — including Pahari, Pashto and Balochi. As responses were subject to real-time translation, it is important to note direct quotes may not always be exact transcriptions.

Research participants were asked openended questions about climate change and its impact upon their lives. The questions were developed in consultation with local Islamic Relief teams in order to best achieve our objectives. This is critical, because, as previous Islamic Relief research has determined, often participants find it difficult to respond when queried about “climate change” as a general concept.7 However, when asked about the impact of climate change – such as changing seasons or extreme weather events – participants found it easier to respond. IRC researchers adjusted our language to incorporate this learning and asked questions around the following issues:

• How has the environment changed since you were a child?

• Have changing weather patterns impacted your livelihood or financial situation? Has the weather affected your work?

• Have the crop outputs changed over time?

• Who is responsible for agricultural activities in your family? Who is responsible for collecting water and/ or wood?

• What dangers have increased with changes in weather?

• What are your hopes and anxieties for the future?

At the end of a focus group discussion, researchers asked participants if any of them would like to participate in a oneon-one interview where questions were explored in greater detail.

Following the data collection phase, primary data was fully transcribed and subsequently compiled following a thematic analysis.

Background

“Pakistan’s climate is as varied as the country’s topography: dry and hot near the coast and along the lowland plains of the Indus River and progressively cooler in the Northern uplands and Himalayas. The high population density and vastly diverse terrain make Pakistan especially vulnerable to climate change impacts.”

– “CLIMATE-INDUCED MIGRATION IN PAKISTAN,” ISLAMIC RELIEF ( 2021)

The sections below provide a more in-depth understanding of the specific environmental contexts of the geographic areas explored in the research. Islamic Relief researchers narrowed in on Balochistan and Kashmir as the focus areas of this study and – to a lesser extent – Rawalpindi, to provide insight into the impacts of climate change in an urban context.

Balochistan

Balochistan is the westernmost province in Pakistan, bordering the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, the Arabian Sea, Iran and Afghanistan. Balochistan’s climate is characterized by very cold winters and warm summers. 8 While weather changes are part of the fabric of Balochistan — where concurrent drought spells have historically unfolded in the region — in recent years, the situation has intensified, as the current drought spell has lasted for over a decade.

Quetta is the provincial capital and the largest city in Balochistan. While Quetta was once known for its beauty and pleasant climate where mountains were covered with snow in every season, today the temperatures exceed 40 degrees celsius and are still rising.9

The most recent drought has caused a noticeable impact on water channels that have negatively affected crops and agricultural activities. As such, inhabitants of Balochistan are facing rising food insecurity and threats to their livelihoods, intensifying socio-economic challenges in one of the most underdeveloped regions of the country. It is for this reason that many have made the difficult decision to leave their homes and migrate to larger urban centers in the hope of having improved access to water and other basic necessities.

In addition to drought, the major environmental issues in Balochistan include earthquakes, landslides, floods, and increasing heat waves.10

Earthquakes are often known to harm southwest Pakistan — specifically Balochistan. In 1935, Quetta and adjoining areas were impacted by a powerful earthquake killing nearly 35,000 people — named to be one of the deadliest known earthquakes in the Indian subcontinent.11 In 2021, a powerful large-scale earthquake hit the Harnai District of Balochistan, destroying lands and properties, and forever changing the livelihood of many individuals and families.

The intensity, duration and frequency of heatwaves are also a fundamental concern in Balochistan. These heat waves have led to the eruption of spontaneous fires in recent years and have exacerbated human suffering when coupled with drought and limited access to clean drinking water.

Specific to Quetta, there has been a decline in the city’s overall environmental health over the past quarter of the century.12 As global warming intensifies and climate change sets in as a reality, Quetta continues to face issues of increasing temperatures, deforestation, pollution, changing patterns of rain, as well as drought and water scarcity. As the city lies outside the monsoon range, rainfall is often scarce and irregular.13

With climate change drawing rural inhabitants away from their homes and into the cities, within Quetta, there has been a rapid increase in urbanization, advancing congestion and traffic, and a decrease in forest cover.14 In fact, Quetta has been declared one of the most polluted cities in the globe due to population growth, expansion of industries and vehicles emitting pollution.15