From Lahore to Toronto, Pt. 1: Climate anomalies are ‘the new normal’

A view of Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. Image sourced from Pixabay.

When I landed at Toronto Pearson Airport in February, I was welcomed by a snowstorm the likes of which this city hadn’t experienced in a decade. I was assured this was “not normal” and that it was surely not going to be a recurring phenomenon. It made me think about what normal really means in regard to the world’s changing climate.

The term “the new normal” has been thrown around quite a bit since the COVID-19 pandemic, but with feral snowstorms, menacing wildfires and 10 centimetres of snow in early November of this year, a feat previously recorded in the 1900s [1], it makes me think this really is the norm now. Maybe a mundane week in May with pleasant winds and soft sunshine is the anomaly.

It all takes me back home to the climate situation in Lahore, Pakistan.

Flanked by historical forts and parks, once abundant with trees predating the British Raj, Lahore is now being suffocated by the growing effects of climate change. While Pakistan contributes less than one per cent of global carbon emissions, it is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. [2]

The disastrous effects of climate change can be seen in every province in Pakistan. As the monsoon grows more aggressive each year, melting glaciers, flash flooding, cloud bursts and landslides have become yearly calamities that displace millions. This, coupled with deforestation, textile waste, landfills and the growing issue of air pollution, has made many Pakistanis fearful for their children’s futures.

Families are now considering relocating to more climate-safe locations. I feel that this will be a chronic issue around the world: “climate tourism” and “climate refugees” will become widely used terminologies.

Smog settling in at sunrise in Punjab, Pakistan. Image sourced from Pexel.

The newest luxury experience: clean air

I remember tuning into CP24 this past summer and listening to news anchors warn Torontonians about going outdoors, as the air quality index (AQI) had been recorded at 5 due to smoke from the Alberta wildfires. As someone who has spent the past couple of years at 200+ AQI in Lahore, I have to admit I found this unsettling. To think of all the people back in Pakistan, breathing in the spicy air and going about their days with strained coughs, watery eyes and persistent migraines. Air purifiers have now become house staples for countless Lahoris. [3]

No matter what the climate situation is anywhere in the world, life does not stop. Not for Lahoris going to work in zero visibility amid smog, and certainly not for Torontonians driving to work through blizzards. This poses important questions for all of us and really puts into perspective the responsibility of making things better while also adjusting to this wave of extreme (now normal) weather conditions.

A scene from Yonge Street in Toronto after the first snow in November 2025. Photo taken by me.

Companies around the world are now demanding employees return to offices for work full-time. If working from home was acceptable during a pandemic, why is it suddenly unacceptable during increasingly frequent and dangerous climate events?

As the world changes, we must change and adapt alongside it, with a conscious effort to make the collective experience more bearable for one another. In the coming years, we may witness a flipping of the climate coin, with snow and harrowing winds in Lahore and smog and 48 Degree Celsius in Toronto. As we brace ourselves for the harsh climate ahead, maybe we should find solace in the now and try to make the most of it.

The question remains: how do we band together to make things more bearable for everyone? In a job market where mass layoffs have become a regular occurrence, can employees realistically ask for remote or hybrid working arrangements during extreme weather? Should we take it upon ourselves as communities and try to find ways to support the creation of temporary shelters for those without stable housing in our neighbourhoods? And how can we better protect food delivery workers and couriers, who continue to work outdoors regardless of the conditions?

Maybe the answers are in remembering our shared sense of humanity. In small ways we can help one another and work towards reviving the warmth and care that Canada is so often known for – looking after ourselves while extending a helping hand to others.