Pakistan's climate crisis: Rising urgency, dwindling action

Some 92% of respondents in Pakistan say climate change is a serious problem according to an ADB report

A recent report by the Asian Development Bank has some very interesting results on perceptions on climate change in Asia-Pacific, including Pakistan. Some 92% of respondents in Pakistan said that climate change is a serious problem. That’s the highest percentage in South Asia. 

Compare that with 42% of the same respondents believing that the government has taken action to reduce climate change. That’s the lowest percentage in South Asia. Actually, that’s the joint lowest in the entire Asia-Pacific region. The two figures tell you all you need to know about the issue. The space in between is where action needs to be taken.

A startling 86% believed that climate change affects people “now” or within the next 10 years. It is an issue even if the mainstream political narrative doesn’t talk about it beyond expedient narratives of funding.

Just look at the recently held climate marches in Sindh held at 28 locations this Saturday. The fervour with which people attended speaks to the urgency with which this crisis needs to be treated.

The common farmer from Nosheroferoze is only concerned about saving his crop from the extreme shift in temperature. An elderly woman in Dadu is only concerned with getting her daughter married before the monsoon flood so that she has fewer mouths to feed once the rains come.

And it is not just a matter of perception. The ADB report stresses just how much of an impact climate change will have: it could reduce gross domestic product (GDP) in Asia by 17% by 2070. The GDP decimation in Pakistan is over 21%.

The biggest impact on Pakistan is on agriculture – rice, wheat, soy bean – and even more on labour productivity, which is Pakistan’s biggest asset and, therefore, this threat is even greater.

Compared to the 2.1% of GDP economic loss region-wide from shocks to climate-dependent sectors by 2070, Pakistan is affected most with 12%.

The macros are also hit. Climate change affects energy consumption patterns, with demand for petroleum products, which makes for Pakistan’s largest import bill, will rise. 

And all the work being done to try to stabalise the economy by controlling the external account, and all the associate pain brought to people for this, will be for naught.

As has been documented, Pakistan is one of the foremost countries experiencing the influences of climate change even though its contribution to the crisis is less than one per cent. 

Sindh’s devastating flood of 2022 alone cost approximately Rs24 billion in damages; let us not forget the other floods in the last four years. With all these stark facts and figures before us, we have to take stock of where our national leaders stand on all these issues.

The truth is we have had leaders go on and on about climate change, but few will argue that it is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his party that has consistently shown any sort of genuine interest in the topic, aside from both foresight and the capacity for rapid reaction. 

He has also consistently raised awareness about the urgent need for action on climate change, particularly in the context of Pakistan's vulnerability to climate-related disasters.

He did it as foreign minister when the 2022 floods hit, with his party leaders, most notably Sherry Rehman, leading the mass contact efforts with the world that culminated in an international conference on Pakistan held alongside the UN – just weeks after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Pakistan.

Bilawal has supported policies aimed at sustainable development and environmental protection. This includes promoting renewable energy sources and advocating for stronger climate policies at both the national and international levels.

He has focused on rebuilding efforts that incorporate climate resilience, ensuring that communities are better prepared for future climate impacts.

With a funding of Rs39 billion to reconstruct 2.1 million homes, Bilawal and the party’s effort to rehabilitate flood affectees has been tireless. And this is despite the fact that there is little political advantage to this is in today’s charged political atmosphere where most focus is on court cases, amendments and tenure extensions.

He has also encouraged youth engagement in climate activism, recognising the importance of the younger generation in addressing climate issues. It helps that he is young himself.

The Pakistan People’s Party has dedicated 13 sections on climate change in its election manifesto earlier this year. Its aims to make permanent changes can be seen through the promise of a Green New Deal which the party has been working on avidly. 

It focuses on climate change investments in different sectors, but most importantly in our infrastructure, with focus on climate resilience. It includes indigenous and green energy for electricity.

There is also a pledge to create solar parks through public-private partnerships nationwide, offering free electricity access for up to 300 units to the most economically disadvantaged households.

One of the key concerns in the recently held climate march was the effect on women, which was actively advocated by the Aurat March organisers. One cannot ignore the climate-related challenges that women face, especially those who live below the poverty line. That is why the PPP’s manifesto has pledged to confront climate change as a human rights concern.

There are only a few things Pakistan can claim to be a leading voice on internationally as it has been for climate change, financing and debt sustainability of affected nations. That momentum that started in 2022 has slowed. That is why COP29, being held in Azerbaijan, is such an important platform. 

If it wants to keep a leading role, Pakistan needs leadership that gets the issue – not one that regurgitates catch phrases from placards just for the sake of it. Else COP 29 will just be another junket for officials in a country that should be caring about climate change much more than they do.

The writer is the spokesperson for Sindh government and a former Member of the National Assembly.