Environmental Sustainability Worries Me

“I am from a far flung area of northern Pakistan, Hunza. My village is known for its high mountains covered with snow and glaciers, waterfalls, lush green landscape and majestic valleys. I spent my childhood in the village known for its tourist attractions. I left Hunza for my education and four years later when I returned, my village was not the same. I observed that the fresh air smelled polluted, the glaciers retreated and the peak of the mountains was not covered with shiny snow any longer. Lands full of trees have been replaced with new buildings and roads are busier than before. Urbanisation and global warming have reached the beautiful corner of my village and there seems to be no control over this alarming concern.

I left for Hungary to study Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management from the Central European University. I want to return back to Pakistan equipped with knowledge and skills necessary to work and address environmental concerns and protection, including policy framework and implementation. Surely, tourism is great for economic growth, but environmental costs of tourism need to be addressed. While we cannot stop tourism or urbanisation, there is a dire need for people and institutions to understand how economic growth and environmental development can co-exist. We lack research and development in the area of environmental sciences and environmental sustainability. My village Hunza is not the only case in Pakistan. I am excited that the programme I am currently attending will introduce me to all aspects of environmental concerns, especially in the global south. My deep connection with the environment is not only associated with the place I was born and raised but also the school and the AKU-EB system I attended. I remember from my physics, chemistry and biology classes where some experiments were done with the evidence from nature - understanding how things work and observing how nature responses. Experiential learning under the AKU-EB system allowed me to question what I learned. The skills I acquired have been guiding me throughout my education journey. I have two advice for students: a) You should go out and explore the most healing qualities of nature, regardless of your passion or profession. b) We all fail and not once and every failure opens a space for learning. For your higher education, you must choose to study what you are passionate about from an institution which can help you groom and grow in the field of your passion. This will motivate you to work harder, try again and be better with every single try.” Noreen Akhtar M.Sc. Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management, Central European University, Hungary, University of Manchester, UK and University of the Aegean, Greece Recipient of Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree Programme Scholarship under the European Union B.A. Environmental Sciences, Asian University for Women, Bangladesh - 2018 AKU-EB Alumni 2013