Population Growth and Climate Change: Implications for Human Development in Pakistan

Abstract

The study examines how population growth and climate change affect human development in Pakistan. The rapid population growth and escalating climate change impacts in the country necessitate an understanding of their implications for human development. The study utilized time series data from 1990 to 2020 and employed descriptive analysis, an Autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, a unit root test, and a bounds test for cointegration to analyze the data. The study considered the variables for analysis, such as Human Development, Climate change, and Population growth. The findings revealed that population growth and climate change have significantly influenced human development outcomes in Pakistan, with higher population growth and climate change leading to lower human development levels in the long run. The implications of the study underscored the need for urgent action to address the negative impacts of rapid population growth and climate change on human development in Pakistan. The study derived several suggestions from the findings, including implementing a family planning program, investing in education, promoting climate change awareness campaigns, integrating climate change considerations into national policies, empowering local communities, and encouraging research and innovations in sustainable development and climate change adaptation.