PAKISTAN is learning, year after year, what it means to live on the front lines of the climate crisis. Floods and droughts don’t end when the waters recede or the rains return; each brings a major economic shock, development setbacks, and humanitarian impacts that last for years.

Over two decades, climate-related disasters caused at least $18 billion in damages in Pakistan — surpassing $60bn when losses from the 2010, 2011, and 2022 floods are added. The 2022 mega-flood alone produced $30bn in losses and reconstruction needs — about eight per cent of GDP. Yet, only about 30pc of the $16.3bn required for reconstruction has been funded, leaving a gap of over $11bn. In 2025, monsoon floods displaced 5.9 million people, destroyed 2.2m hectares (5.4 acres) of cropland, and caused $3bn in damage, reducing GDP growth by about 0.5 percentage points.

Climate change is exacerbating hunger. With a one-degree Celsius rise in temperature, the World Food Programme models a likely 6.6pc increase in the food-insecure population, with Pakistan experiencing the largest increase globally. Every disaster cycle has a long-term impact on families: children are pulled from school, livestock are sold in distress, seed stocks........

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