By Rimsha Azhar

Pakistan’s climate crisis is not simply an environmental challenge; it is the product of historical neglect, structural inequality, and selective state-building. As climate events grow more frequent and intense, it becomes increasingly clear that disasters do not affect all communities equally. Behind every flood, drought, or heatwave lies a deeper story of uneven development, institutional absence, and policy decisions that have left millions exposed. From the early years of the state, development choices prioritized elite urban expansion over rural resilience. Infrastructure, education, and healthcare were built around privileged zones, while vast rural and informal urban areas remained excluded from planning and investment. Informal settlements that now house the majority of the urban poor have no drainage, healthcare, public transport, or basic services. When climate events strike, these are the first places to collapse and the last to be rebuilt. The climate crisis in Pakistan is therefore a crisis of governance, not of state absence but of selective presence. Political attention and funding often flow to visible, vote-rich constituencies, while marginalized communities, particularly those living in fragile ecological zones, receive little support beyond temporary disaster relief. This unequal exposure to risk is what constitutes climate injustice, where those least responsible for global warming suffer the most devastating consequences with the fewest resources to adapt. Among those most........

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