Pakistan stands on the frontlines of a crisis it did not create. While the global powers debate emission targets, negotiate climate financing frameworks, and make lofty promises at international summits, the people of Pakistan are already enduring the catastrophic consequences of a changing planet.
With a contribution of less percent to global carbon emissions, Pakistan remains among the world’s lowest emitters— but paradoxically, it is also one of the most vulnerable nations to climate disasters. The climate crisis has become our daily reality, not an abstract threat of the future. The floods of recent years are a haunting reminder that climate change is not fair— it’s cruelly disproportionate.
In 2022, Pakistan faced one of the most devastating climate disasters in its history. Torrential monsoon rains— nearly three times the national average— caused floods that submerged one-third of the country. Over 33 million people were affected, millions were displaced, and the economic cost exceeded $30 billion. The damage was not limited to infrastructure; it tore apart the very social and economic fabric of rural life. Villages disappeared under muddy waters, farmlands turned into lakes, and thousands of schools and hospitals were destroyed. The floods left behind not just broken homes but outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, malaria, and dengue. The human cost of this tragedy cannot be measured merely in dollars— it was about shattered livelihoods, lost futures, and broken resilience.
Even today, recovery remains incomplete. Families continue to rebuild homes that were washed away, often with little to no international support. Farmers— already on the edge of poverty— face another year of uncertainty as heatwaves scorch their fields and irrigation channels dry up. The cycle of destruction and reconstruction has become the new normal for those living along Pakistan’s river basins. If the floods were a slow-moving catastrophe, the heatwaves that followed turned Pakistan into a furnace. In cities like Jacobabad, temperatures soared to 51°C, making it one of the hottest places on Earth. The unbearable heat has rendered outdoor work almost impossible, affecting agricultural labourers, construction workers, and the urban poor who lack access to cooling systems.
The irony is cruel— Pakistan swings between the extremes of climate change. One season brings devastating floods, the next brings suffocating droughts and heatwaves. This pattern of climate volatility has placed immense pressure on the country’s food security. Wheat, rice, and cotton— the pillars of Pakistan’s agricultural economy— are being hit by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and pest outbreaks triggered by climate change. Beyond the plains, another silent crisis is unfolding in Pakistan’s northern regions. The Himalayan and Karakoram glaciers, numbering more than 7,000, are melting at an alarming rate. These glaciers feed the Indus River system, which sustains the agriculture, drinking water, and energy needs of over 220 million people. Yet rising global temperatures are accelerating glacial melt faster than nature can replenish it.
The result is twofold: sudden glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) that wipe out entire villages, and long-term reductions in water flow that threaten the very existence of Pakistan’s agriculture. Communities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral are already witnessing unpredictable weather patterns— flash floods in one season, water scarcity in the next. If glaciers continue to retreat at their current pace, Pakistan may face an irreversible water crisis within decades. Meanwhile, the country’s air quality ranks among the worst globally, with smog now a recurring hazard in major cities like Lahore and Karachi. Lahore has repeatedly topped the list of the most polluted cities on Earth. The toxic air not only obscures skylines— it damages lungs, shortens lives, and weakens immunity, especially among children and the elderly.
Our rivers are choking under the weight of pollution and mismanagement. Industrial waste, untreated sewage, and agricultural runoff contaminate the very waters that sustain millions. As our farms dry up and aquifers deplete, the link between environmental degradation and poverty becomes painfully evident. For a nation where agriculture employs nearly 40 percent of the workforce, the climate crisis is not just an ecological issue— it is a developmental emergency. And while climate change is global, its impacts are deeply unequal. The poorest and most marginalized communities in Pakistan— those who neither drive SUVs nor operate factories— are paying the highest price. In the southern provinces, women and children walk miles under a scorching sun to fetch clean water. In Sindh and Balochistan, farmers have lost not only their crops but also their cattle and land to recurring floods.
If fairness truly exists in climate discourse, then justice must begin here— with nations like Pakistan that are suffering not because of what they did, but because of what others failed to stop. The world must move beyond empty pledges and photo-ops. Climate justice demands action, funding, and solidarity. Pakistan’s climate story is not just one of victimhood— it is one of resilience. Despite immense adversity, the people of Pakistan continue to rebuild, replant, and resist. But resilience has its limits. Without global support, without justice, and without fairness, even the strongest nations will falter. The time for promises has passed. The time for accountability has come.
Climate change, therefore, is not only an environmental issue— it is a social justice issue. It exposes the structural inequalities that exist within societies and between nations. The global North continues to emit disproportionately, while the global South bears the brunt of its consequences. The suffering of Pakistan’s poor is not an act of fate; it is a direct outcome of global negligence and the failure of international systems to act equitably.
Pakistan has shown commitment to climate action through frameworks such as the Pakistan Vision 2050, the 5Es Framework for National Transformation, and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. Ambitious goals— such as achieving 60 percent renewable energy by 2030, planting 10 billion trees, and reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent— reflect the country’s intent to align with global sustainability efforts. Yet, the reality paints a more complicated picture. These “green goals” are often overshadowed by “grey gaps”— gaps in implementation, funding, governance, and political will.
Pakistan’s active participation in recent global climate forums such as COP29 in Baku and preparations for COP30 in Brazil have amplified its voice on the world stage. Pakistan has consistently urged the international community to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund, calling for fairness in climate finance and greater accountability from the developed world. However, despite these diplomatic wins, on-ground progress remains painfully slow. Climate adaptation plans exist on paper, but execution remains limited due to a lack of resources, institutional coordination, and long-term planning. The fiscal crisis, energy dependency, and political instability further slowdown progress.
While Pakistan is expected to shoulder the burden of mitigation and adaptation, it lacks the financial and technological capacity to do so alone. The cost of adaptation is estimated to be around $7–$14 billion annually— an impossible figure for a developing economy already struggling with debt, inflation, and energy shortages. This is not a plea for sympathy— it is a call for justice. The world owes Pakistan climate accountability, not charity. The principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” under international climate law must be honored in both spirit and action. Developed nations, whose industrial revolutions fuelled this crisis, must contribute fairly to the Loss and Damage Fund, provide climate financing, and ensure technology transfer to developing countries.
Justice, in this context, means giving countries like Pakistan the tools to adapt, build resilience, and safeguard their people. It means recognizing that climate change is not a local problem— it is a global failure of fairness and foresight. Pakistan cannot wait for global consensus. It must invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, and disaster management systems. Local communities, especially those in flood-prone and drought-hit areas, must be empowered through training, awareness, and resources. Climate change is not an environmental ministry’s concern— it is a whole-of-government challenge that affects health, economy, security, and diplomacy.
If fairness truly exists in climate discourse, then justice must begin here— with nations like Pakistan that are suffering not because of what they did, but because of what others failed to stop. The world must move beyond empty pledges and photo-ops. Climate justice demands action, funding, and solidarity. Pakistan’s climate story is not just one of victimhood— it is one of resilience. Despite immense adversity, the people of Pakistan continue to rebuild, replant, and resist. But resilience has its limits. Without global support, without justice, and without fairness, even the strongest nations will falter. The time for promises has passed. The time for accountability has come.
