Saving Pakistan's Future: Why Environmental Sciences Matters
ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Aug, 2026) Scorching heatwaves, declining groundwater levels, air pollution, soil degradation, and increasingly unpredictable floods are no longer distant environmental warnings for Pakistan. They are becoming part of everyday life, creating an urgent need for professionally trained environmental scientists capable of understanding these challenges and developing practical solutions.
The situation is particularly evident across the Punjab plains, including Multan, where rising temperatures, water scarcity, changing weather patterns, and environmental degradation are increasingly affecting agriculture, public health, and livelihoods, presenting a pressing challenge for communities.
Despite this growing challenge, Environmental Science remains a relatively less preferred academic choice among Pakistani students. Medicine, engineering, computer science, and business continue to dominate career discussions in many households, while environmental sciences often receive comparatively little attention, silently remaining on the margins of academic priorities.
Experts believe this perception needs to change as environmental protection, climate adaptation, sustainable development, and natural resource management become increasingly important for Pakistan’s economic and social future.
Chairman of the Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences at Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture Multan (MNSUAM), Dr Tanveer ul Haq, stated that Pakistan urgently needed a new generation of professionals capable of addressing environmental challenges through scientific knowledge and practical solutions.
“Environmental problems are no longer confined to laboratories or research institutions. They directly affect our agriculture, water resources, food security, public health, and livelihoods.” he said.
“We therefore need trained environmental scientists who can translate scientific knowledge into practical solutions."
Dr Tanveer emphasized that environmental education should be viewed as an investment in the country’s future rather than simply another academic discipline.
Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change makes environmental expertise particularly important. Water stress, soil degradation, pollution, extreme weather events, and growing pressure on agricultural resources require professionals with interdisciplinary knowledge of soil, water, air, ecosystems, and climate.
The Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences at MNSUAM offers a BSc (Hons) Environmental Sciences programme designed to prepare students for this emerging field. The program combines scientific knowledge with practical and field-based learning in areas including ecology, soil science, environmental chemistry, water resources, climate science, environmental management, policy, and environmental law.