Climate change is not just a word anymore, it’s a reality that’s already started penetrating our country. Every year, Pakistan experiences recurring heatwaves and droughts, riverine and flash floods, landslides, and sea storms or cyclones.
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Every year, thousands of Pakistanis lose their lives to the effects of climate change and Northern areas of the country are some of the first-hit places by climate change. In an attempt to raise awareness and warn the people of the dangers climate change has, Aga Khan University has taken it upon itself to educate people and raise voice for the affected.
AKU, in collaboration with Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and the University of Central Asia, has been selecting filmmakers from Asia who will be trained, mentored, and supported to produce groundbreaking environmental films.
They have released about 3 short films to date, one of them centered on the glacier burst flooding in the Gilgit Baltistan region in Pakistan. The division saw 27 geological disasters in 2019 alone and in 2018, the district of Badswat witnessed a glacier outburst flood which completely submerged the district, creating an artificial lake within an hour.
Titled ‘The Sky is Far, The Earth is Tough,’ the 33-minute long film has everything people need to realize how real climate change is. From accounts of the affected, to footage of the disaster taking it’s course, to the trauma that people went through, to the fear that they constantly have for another disaster waiting to happen, their life will never be the same.
The film ends with people sharing their traumas and the fear of their existence and the beautiful valley getting lost among these disasters. The film, despite being half an hour-long, leaves a lasting impact on the audience. Real accounts, from real people, at the real places of the disaster just adds to the realization of how big of a problem we are facing as a nation. It also compels you to make better choices to protect your environment.
According to an environmental study, Karachi, the city that generates the biggest revenue, could be completely submerged by 2060 if necessary steps aren’t taken.
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By tackling both the problems of climate change and highlighting local solutions, the documentaries will goad and inspire government, business and civil society leaders to reverse the region’s ecological destruction and conserve its water and wildlife.
