Ziraat Times’ view: J&K’s weather extremes demand urgent climate action

Jammu & Kashmir is no stranger to the vagaries of nature, but what we are witnessing now are no longer just seasonal fluctuations; they are clear indicators of a deepening climate crisis.

The mercury touching 34 degrees Celsius in the last week of May, a rare and likely unprecedented event in the Valley’s recorded weather history, must not be dismissed as an anomaly. When viewed alongside the increasingly frequent hailstorms, erratic precipitation, and wide diurnal temperature swings, it paints a troubling picture of a region under climatic stress.

This pattern is not only impacting the environment but placing our agricultural economy on extremely fragile footing. High-density apple orchards, saffron fields, vegetable farms, and paddy cultivations are now frequently caught off-guard by unseasonal events. Spring, once the most dependable season for crop establishment, is now as unpredictable as the rest of the year. The damage is not just physical, it is deeply economic, with thousands of farming families left uncertain about their livelihoods.

For years, Ziraat Times has consistently advocated for climate mitigation and adaptation to be integrated into the heart of our economic planning. The current climate emergency reinforces that call with renewed urgency. It is no longer enough to talk in generalities about “awareness” and “resilience.” We need structural interventions, from climate-resilient crop research and early warning systems to better crop insurance schemes and a pivot towards sustainable water and soil management.

Most critically, climate change must now become a central lens in policy design across departments — agriculture, horticulture, planning, finance, infrastructure, and education. Coordination across these sectors will determine whether we continue to react to disasters or begin to prevent them.

Policymakers must recognise that climate change is not a distant threat; it is already reshaping our seasons, stressing our ecosystems, and eroding our economic base. Farmers, orchardists, and common citizens can no longer be left to adapt on their own. They require institutional support, informed policies, and urgent action.

Jammu & Kashmir’s climate emergency is here. The longer we delay embedding climate response into mainstream governance, the deeper the damage we will face, not just to our crops, but to our collective future.