CLIMATE change has emerged as a global crisis, but its effects are disproportionately devastating for developing countries like Pakistan. While contributing fewer than one per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan is among the nations most severely impacted by climate change. This vulnerability has intensified poverty levels across the country and is posing a significant threat to its socioeconomic stability.

According to a report titled The State of Poverty in Pakistan by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), 21.5pc of the population — one in five — lived in poverty in 2018-19. UN Habitat ranked Pakistan as the fifth most vulnerable country on the Global Climate Risk Index. The 2022 floods caused losses exceeding $15bn and affected 33m people. Similarly, the 2010 floods devastated one-fifth of the country’s geographical area, displacing over 20m. Over the past 13 years, these two massive floods have pushed 53m people deeper into poverty or into cycles of poverty. This erosion of social resilience has made communities increasingly vulnerable to future climate shocks.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) reports that extreme rainfall in Pakistan has increased by 50-75pc, likely driving these catastrophic........

© Dawn