“We did not come here by choice. The flood took everything.” These words, echoed by countless survivors of the 2022 floods in Pakistan, encapsulate the silent yet growing crisis of climate-induced displacement. Unlike traditional migration driven by war, politics, or economic opportunity, these individuals are fleeing rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and devastating floods. As the global climate crisis intensifies, climate-related migration is becoming an alarming reality, especially in vulnerable countries like Pakistan.

In the conventional understanding, migration is often associated with economic hardship, political instability, or conflict. However, climate change is rapidly emerging as a primary driver of displacement worldwide. In Pakistan, this is far from a theoretical issue. Over the past two decades, the country has experienced a series of catastrophic climate events, from the super floods of 2010 to the unprecedented monsoon flooding of 2022, which affected over 33 million people. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 8.2 million individuals were displaced by disasters within Pakistan in 2022 alone—a number that is projected to rise sharply in the coming years.

Pakistan’s diverse geography, combined with its socio-economic vulnerabilities, makes it particularly susceptible to climate shocks. In the north, glaciers feeding the Indus River are retreating due to global warming. Further downstream, mismanagement of water and upstream control by India have exacerbated water shortages. Simultaneously, regions like Cholistan are facing extreme droughts, compelling pastoral communities to abandon their traditional grazing routes. In Balochistan,........

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