Hailstorm in Islamabad is nature’s warning shot

Last Wednesday, an unusually severe hailstorm battered Islamabad and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that left the capital city looking like a battlefield. In a matter of just thirty minutes, golf ball-sized hailstones rained down with such fury that they smashed car windshields, broke windows, damaged rooftops and solar panels, and sent children running indoors in terror. This was no ordinary storm. It was a rare, nerve-shattering event. Many residents said it was unlike anything they had experienced in living memory. When the skies cleared, images and videos of the destruction flooded social media, quickly circulating not just within Pakistan but also around the world. This freak event was yet another reminder that Pakistan stands at the frontline of climate change. It is not an exaggeration. Pakistan has been consistently ranked among the top five most vulnerable countries on the Global Climate Risk Index. Yet, despite contributing less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, we find ourselves enduring most of the world’s environmental recklessness. Hailstorms, especially of this magnitude, are part of a growing trend of extreme weather events linked to climate change. Scientists around the world are warning of intensifying hail activity due to rising temperatures and increasing atmospheric instability. The European Severe Storms Laboratory has documented severe hailstorms in Italy and Spain in recent years, and the United States has seen devastating ones in Colorado and  Dakota, the latter producing a record-breaking 8-inch hailstone in 2010. Closer to home, Bangladesh recorded hailstones in 1986 that weighed over 2 pounds. However, it is not just about records. It is about consequences. The Islamabad hailstorm damaged infrastructure, shattered solar panels, and added another layer of economic burden on ordinary citizens already grappling with inflation and energy shortages. For a country like Pakistan, where agriculture forms a large part of the economy, such weather events are deeply threatening not only to our property but also to our food security. One cannot help but wonder if this is not a kind of natural backlash, a consequence of decades of environmental neglect and unsustainable lifestyles. We have upset the balance between humanity and nature, and now nature is pushing back. Unfortunately, ordinary Pakistanis suffer most, while the global north responsible for the lion’s share of emissions continues with business as usual. Pakistan’s representatives have repeatedly raised this injustice at climate forums: we did not start this fire, but we are burning in it. We need not just empathy, but action in the form of financial support, technology transfer, and real emissions reductions by wealthier nations. That said, we could not absolve ourselves either. A short walk down any busy road in our cities reveals smoke-belching vehicles. Open-air burning of waste, unchecked construction dust, industrial emissions, and a general apathy toward environmental laws are all part of our reality. Climate change is not coming. It is here. Islamabad’s storm was a warning shot, a preview of what is to come if we continue on our current path. Rising temperatures, unpredictable weather patterns, and environmental degradation are no longer future threats. They are now everyday occurrences. We must invest in early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, green urban planning, and above all, public awareness. Our schools should be teaching climate science as a core curriculum. Redesign our cities with sustainability in mind. Moreover, our policies must align not just with economic growth, but also with environmental preservation. We owe this not just to ourselves, but also to the generations that will inherit this planet. Islamabad’s hailstorm may have lasted only thirty minutes, but its message should echo in our conscience much longer: we can no longer afford to defy nature. It is time to listen and act.