Glaciers, Floods, and Futures: A Case for Pakistan’s National Green Skills Corps
Pakistan today stands at a critical environmental and socio-economic crossroads, with the melting glaciers of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) emerging as both a national tragedy and a global concern. These regions, often referred to as the “Third Pole,” host over 7,000 glaciers; the largest concentration outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Scientific reports indicate that glaciers in the Himalaya–Karakoram–Hindukush range are melting at a rate 65 percent faster than in previous decades, creating more than 3,000 glacial lakes, 33 of which are officially classified as dangerous and prone to sudden outburst floods. If these glaciers, which are the very arteries of Asia’s great river systems, continue to recede at their present pace, the repercussions will not be limited to Pakistan’s northern mountains. The Indus River, fed by these glaciers, sustains nearly 220 million people downstream, provides water for almost 90 percent of Pakistan’s agriculture, and supports hydropower reservoirs that generate nearly a third of the country’s electricity. To lose these ice reserves to climate change and unchecked human negligence is to gamble with the survival of a nation, and indeed, the stability of an entire region.
Despite this looming crisis, Pakistan’s response has too often been limited to short-term relief efforts in the wake of disasters. Each year, devastating floods; whether induced by glacial lake outbursts, accelerated snowmelt, or intense monsoon rains destroy infrastructure, displace millions, and wipe out livelihoods. The catastrophic floods of 2022, which killed over 1,700 people, displaced more than 33 million, and caused damages exceeding US $40 billion, were a grim reminder that temporary relief in the form of tents, food rations, or cash handouts cannot protect a society from recurring environmental shocks. Relief is temporary, but skills are permanent. The real question is: why has Pakistan not invested in equipping its youth with the green skills necessary to protect their own communities? Why are billions spent on non-essential luxuries, convoys of oversized vehicles used for private errands, opulent homes constructed with timber from mercilessly felled forests, lavish offices and hotels in fragile mountain ecosystems; while the ecological lifelines of this nation continue to be sacrificed at the altar of elite indulgence?
The establishment of a National Green Skills Corps (NGSC) is no longer an option but a necessity for Pakistan. This proposed initiative would train young people in practical, climate-smart skills that directly reduce vulnerability to disasters and support the transition to a sustainable green economy. Imagine thousands of young men and women in GB and KPK trained to design and build flood-proof housing, install and maintain solar energy systems in off-grid villages, construct drainage channels and protective barriers around glacial lakes, and implement climate-smart farming techniques to withstand erratic rainfall. Imagine trained volunteers who can monitor glaciers, operate early warning systems, and mobilize communities before disaster strikes. These skills not only create jobs but also save lives, reduce national losses, and build resilience where it is most needed. Recently, a shepherd named Wasiyat Khan from Rawshan village in the Ghizer Valley, GB, saved hundreds of lives by alerting his community about an impending glacial flood using his mobile phone. While advanced monitoring equipment failed to provide early warnings, his timely alert enabled villagers to evacuate safely, with local volunteers assisting in relocating residents to secure areas. This incident highlights the urgent need to establish and recruit a NGSC; a dedicated force trained and equipped to safeguard the environment, forests, and glaciers. Such preparedness is essential to mitigate disasters and protect our natural resources before irreversible damage occurs. Unlike foreign aid, which arrives late and often departs early, skills once imparted remain with individuals and communities, ensuring long-term self-reliance.
Examples from other mountainous countries underscore how Pakistan is falling behind. Nepal, facing similar threats from glacial lake outburst floods, has developed extensive early warning systems, trained mountain communities in disaster preparedness, and integrated local youth into environmental monitoring programs. Switzerland, a country whose prosperity is partly built on the sustainable management of its Alps, has invested heavily in training locals to manage ecosystems, regulate tourism, and protect fragile mountain environments. In Indian-occupied Kashmir, eco-clubs and environmental education programs modelled after India’s National Green Corps have already mobilized thousands of students in green awareness and skills. These are not abstract experiments; they are living demonstrations that resilient societies are not built through rhetoric or temporary relief, but through the consistent investment of resources into training, education, and practical adaptation.
Pakistan, however, continues to squander its scarce resources on wasteful consumption and short-sighted priorities. Forests that once acted as the “lungs of the Earth” are being decimated to make way for hotels, housing colonies, and offices. Timber smuggling, unchecked construction, and the insatiable appetite of the powerful for luxury homes have stripped hillsides bare, leaving behind desert-like landscapes that absorb heat, accelerate glacial melt, and magnify the force of floods. Meanwhile, convoys of SUVs ferry children to elite schools or transport household appliances in the cities, consuming imported fuel and choking the air with emissions, even as entire valleys are buried under flash floods and landslides. It is a tragic irony that a nation which has repeatedly described itself as a victim of global climate change fails to curb its own internal mismanagement and elite excesses that compound the very problem.
The NGSC would serve as a corrective to this destructive pattern. By partnering with universities such as Karakoram International University in Gilgit, University of Baltistan in Skardu and technical institutes across KPK, the Corps could build a curriculum tailored to local needs: hydrology and glaciology training, sustainable forestry management, renewable energy systems, ecological tourism, climate-smart agriculture, and community-level disaster response. By embedding these skills in the youth of these regions, Pakistan would not only address immediate adaptation needs but also create a generation of environmentally literate citizens capable of contributing to the green economy. International donors and climate finance institutions would be more inclined to support a skills-based program that offers measurable, lasting results, as opposed to reactive appeals for post-disaster relief.
The urgency cannot be overstated. Scientific assessments warn that if current warming trends continue, up to 80 percent of the Himalayan glaciers could disappear by the end of this century, even under moderate climate scenarios. For Pakistan, this would mean alternating cycles of catastrophic floods followed by crippling droughts as glacier-fed rivers first surge uncontrollably and later dry out. Such instability would devastate agriculture, undermine energy security, and trigger mass displacement, potentially destabilizing the entire South Asian region. This is not a distant problem but one already unfolding. The flash floods in Hunza, Skardu, and Chitral over the last five years, the destruction of critical road links, the loss of hundreds of lives, and the silent suffering of displaced mountain communities all point to an escalating crisis that requires bold and innovative national responses.
Pakistan’s leaders must therefore recognize that resilience is not built through empty declarations or foreign aid dependency. Resilience is built by equipping citizens with the tools and skills to protect themselves and their environment. Relief is temporary, but skills are permanent. In a country where youth make up nearly 65 percent of the population, failing to channel their energies into green skills is a missed opportunity of historic proportions. The NGSC is more than just a program; it is a vision for a resilient, sustainable Pakistan where communities in GB and KPK are empowered to defend their glaciers, forests, and rivers; where jobs are created through green innovation rather than extractive destruction; and where national pride is rooted in stewardship rather than consumption. The proposed NGSC must operate under clear Terms of Reference (ToRs) and defined responsibilities to ensure effective protection of the country’s natural resources. Their mandate should also include contributing to Carbon Trading Initiatives (CTIs), with career progression linked to measurable achievements in securing carbon credits. Members of the NGSC should receive rigorous training not only from security institutions such as the army and police but also from information technology experts, equipping them with modern tools, including advanced AI-based monitoring and recording systems. To maintain transparency and efficiency, a robust accountability mechanism should be established, with regular performance reviews made public to demonstrate tangible improvements on the ground.
The glaciers of the Third Pole are not simply ice; they are the lifeblood of our people, the engine of our agriculture, the safeguard of our future. To neglect them is to betray both our citizens and the global community that depends on these waters. The time has come to abandon elite indulgences and reckless exploitation, and to invest instead in the permanent resilience of our people through the NGSC. This is not merely an environmental necessity; it is a moral, economic, and national imperative.
