EDITORIAL: If there is one glaring reality that emerges when going through recent headlines pertaining to climate change, it is that the severity of climate disasters is rapidly outpacing the solutions and financial resources being proposed to address them.
This is particularly evident in Pakistan, where recurring floods, heat waves, climate-induced displacement and glacial melt pose an ever-growing threat, while adaptation efforts, governance mechanisms and financial support remain insufficient.
The UN’s recently released Urban Transformation in Asia and the Pacific report, for example, highlights that Karachi is set to receive the region’s second-highest influx of climate-induced migration – 2.4 million people by 2050 – if global temperatures rise 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
Yet, the city’s infrastructure, housing capacity, essential services, governance framework and support mechanisms for climate migrants remain woefully unprepared to accommodate such a massive influx.
As the report highlights, apart from rapid population growth and recurring climate disasters, Karachi is blighted by the fragmented nature of its governance framework, where not even half the city comes under the jurisdiction of city government authorities.
This has long hindered uniform urban planning and efficient service delivery. As a result, Karachi faces a plethora of problems, including deteriorating housing stock and infrastructure, as well as serious issues related to unreliable water supply, a weak local government system and extreme climate vulnerability, making it one of the least livable cities in the world.
Despite this, there appears to be little recognition of the climate-induced challenges that lie ahead, as city planning hardly takes into consideration scientific evidence pertaining to population growth and climate-related needs, leaving Karachi unprepared to adapt to future environmental and demographic pressures.
In a similar vein, Pakistan is equally ill-equipped to tackle the rapid glacial melt going on in its mountain system. As highlighted in the recently released World Water Development Report 2025, the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan system could lose 50 percent of its glacier volume by the year 2100, endangering the entire ecosystem of the Indus River Basin.
Pakistan’s 7,000 glaciers have already shrunk by 16 percent in five years, with short-term water surpluses giving way to longer term scarcity and intense flooding events. The catastrophic 2022 floods, for example, were partly driven by glacial melt, resulting in staggering losses of $30 billion in crop and infrastructure damage.
Millions were displaced, livelihoods were destroyed, and hundreds lost their lives. Recurring disasters like these are increasingly forcing local communities to migrate, adding to the climate-induced displacement crisis that cities like Karachi are struggling to tackle.
It is perplexing, then, that despite the scale and frequency of these climate disasters, the response remains largely reactive. Instead of proactive risk mitigation, authorities scramble to contain crises after they unfold, and there remain critical gaps in our climate resilience infrastructure.
A prime example of this institutional lethargy is the prolonged delay in operationalising the Climate Change Authority.
Although its establishment had been mandated in 2017, it took seven years for any progress on this front, and even now, as the Supreme Court recently noted, key issues remain unresolved – appointing a qualified chairman, finalising operational guidelines and ensuring that its members possess the requisite expertise.
Beyond institutional inefficiencies, another fundamental issue is the failure to integrate climate considerations into all aspects of policymaking. Whether in energy, agriculture, water management or other sectors, policies and projects often overlook their environmental impact and climate resilience.
While it is true that Pakistan contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions and that high-emission nations must take responsibility by providing requisite financial support, this does not absolve us of our own obligations.
Strengthening our domestic response to climate challenges is just as crucial, ensuring that we are not solely reliant on external aid but actively working towards resilience and sustainability.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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