Cooling a Warming Land: Why Saving Trees and Expanding Clean Energy Is Now a National Imperative for Gilgit–Baltistan
“Concrete heats everything, trees cool the world gently and naturally. Less asphalt and concrete means cooler places, cleaner air and healthier people.” Though simple, this statement captures one of the most urgent ecological truths of our time—one that carries special importance for Gilgit–Baltistan (GB), a region where rising temperatures, growing concrete constructions, and increasing pressures on natural forests are converging to create profound risks.
GB is one of the world’s most climate-sensitive mountain ecosystems. Its high-altitude deserts, fragile slopes, and immense glacial reservoirs—holding the ice that feeds Pakistan’s rivers—make it a region where even a single degree of warming has outsized consequences. Yet over recent years, the rapid expansion of cement-based urbanization, coupled with growing dependence on firewood for heating and cooking, has started to create micro “heat pockets” in valleys that were historically cool and climatically stable. Concrete absorbs heat, asphalt radiates it, and collectively these changes accelerate glacier melt, destabilize slopes, worsen dust levels, and compromise human comfort.
Trees, on the other hand, offer a simple, natural remedy. They cool the air through shade and evapotranspiration, clean the atmosphere by trapping particulates, and enrich soil moisture. In a dry region like GB, even a small cluster of trees can reduce local temperatures, improve mental and physical wellbeing, and help preserve precious soil. Yet the challenge is clear: how can a region that is both arid and energy-poor protect its forests while meeting the basic household needs of its people?
Reducing Dependence on Firewood: The First Critical Step
The uncomfortable truth is that the poorest households in GB—especially in winter—have little alternative but to cut trees or burn whatever material is available, including plastics, waste, and low-grade biomass. This not only degrades forests but also releases toxic fumes, endangering human health and accelerating the warming of local valleys.
For GB, reducing reliance on firewood is inseparable from protecting its forests. And this can be achieved only through a clear, focused national plan that addresses clean energy access for the region’s lowest-income communities.
Immediate Clean Energy Measures for Forest Protection
A practical, humane, and urgent set of measures can dramatically reduce the pressure on GB’s forests:
1. Subsidized Electricity for Winter Months
A seasonal subsidy, targeted toward households in the lowest income brackets, can significantly reduce the need to burn wood. Even a modest increase in affordable electricity can replace hundreds of kilograms of wood annually per family.
2. Accelerated Hydropower Micro-Stations
GB’s natural topography is ideal for small-scale hydropower units that are inexpensive, low-maintenance, and environmentally friendly. Installing dozens of such units across villages could provide round-the-year clean energy while avoiding major infrastructure costs.
3. Rapid Expansion of Solar Heating and Cooking Solutions
Solar cookers, solar water heaters, and basic photovoltaic systems are already used in many high-altitude regions globally. A government-led program offering 50–70% subsidies can ignite a transformation, especially for remote villages cut off during winter.
4. Provision of Efficient, Clean Stoves
Even when wood must be used, clean-burning, high-efficiency stoves reduce firewood consumption by 50–70% and drastically cut indoor pollution. A large-scale distribution program can save thousands of trees annually.
5. Community Woodlots and Fast-Growing Indigenous Trees
Instead of cutting natural forests, communities can establish small woodlots of fast-growing species like Russian olive, willow, or poplar for controlled harvesting. This relieves pressure on old-growth forests and enhances local cooling.
Expanding Green, Reducing Grey
Alongside clean energy, urban planning must shift away from excessive concrete. Simple interventions—permeable pavements, shaded walkways, vegetated slopes, and incentives for rooftop gardens—can reverse the heating trend in growing towns like Gilgit, Skardu, and Hunza.
Green infrastructure does not demand heavy budgets; it demands commitment. And every tree saved in GB cools the land, anchors soil, retains moisture, and indirectly protects the glaciers that feed Pakistan’s rivers.
A National Responsibility
Gilgit–Baltistan is more than a region; it is Pakistan’s water tower. Its glaciers are the lifeblood of the nation’s agriculture, hydropower, cities, and industries. Protecting its forests is not a regional concern—it is a national security imperative.
Saving even a single tree in GB is an act of safeguarding the Indus Basin.
It is an act of protecting future generations.
And it is an acknowledgment that climate resilience begins in the mountains.
In the face of a warming planet, Pakistan cannot afford to lose the natural guardians that quietly keep the nation alive. The time to act—wisely, humanely, and decisively—is now.
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