Living in a hotter Pakistan

When recently Dadu recorded 51.2°C, it was more than a weather statistic; it was a glimpse into Pakistan's future. Such extremes should serve as a warning that climate change is now a lived reality. This a not a story about Dadu alone. Conditions across upper and central Sindh - including Jacobabad, Larkana, Khairpur Mirs, Sukkur and Nawabshah - have been similarly severe, while other parts of the country have also experienced increasingly extreme weather.

Scientific evidence shows that human activities have contributed significantly to global warming. The Earth's average temperature has already risen by roughly 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels. While this may appear modest, its implications are profound.

Pakistan contributes less than one per cent to global GHG emissions, yet remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. However, not every climate-related disaster can be explained solely by global factors. The experience of Dadu illustrates this point. Major floods in 1995, 2007, 2010, 2020 and 2022 were undoubtedly influenced by changing climate patterns, but local governance failures often magnified their impact. Poorly maintained embankments, inadequate drainage systems, settlements in flood-prone areas and weak land-use planning repeatedly turned natural hazards into human disasters. Better governance could not have prevented every flood, but it could have significantly reduced the devastation.

The same principle applies to extreme heat.

One increasingly visible trend across Dadu and other parts of Sindh is the disappearance of trees. A few days ago, I was speaking with a small landowner from Taluka Mehar when he received a call from a farmer informing him that he would soon repay a loan because he had sold the trees standing on his agricultural land. Such stories have become common.

Until a few decades ago, it was common for households in rural Sindh to maintain neem, berry and various fruit trees within their compounds. These trees provided shade, cooled homes during harsh summers and served as habitats for birds. They also supported livestock, which fed on fallen leaves and fruit. Today, many such trees have disappeared, particularly in parts of kachho and other arid areas where the landscape has become noticeably barer. While deforestation alone cannot explain record-breaking temperatures, it removes one of nature's most effective cooling mechanisms and contributes to local warming.

Similarly, the degradation of wetlands, shrinking water bodies and changing irrigation patterns have weakened the natural systems that help regulate temperature and moisture. These changes affect not only the local climate but also agriculture and biodiversity.

Climate change is, at its core, the accumulation of excess heat within the Earth's climate system. That additional heat does not simply make summers hotter, it also alters rainfall patterns, intensifies floods, worsens droughts and increases the frequency of extreme weather events.

Communities facing extreme heat need practical interventions such as heat-action plans, early-warning systems, public awareness campaigns and cooling centres. Public awareness is particularly important because many homes, schools and offices have shifted from climate-responsive designs towards concrete structures that trap heat and depend heavily on electricity.

Climate-sensitive construction practices need to be promoted. In this regard, an important experiment is underway in Sindh, where the provincial government is rebuilding over a thousand schools using Light Gauge Steel technology, with ADB's support. Whether these structures prove more climate-resilient remains to be seen, but the initiative reflects a growing recognition that public infrastructure must adapt to a warming climate.

Ultimately, the challenge facing Pakistan is not simply preventing further warming, it is also learning how to live safely in a hotter world. As temperatures continue to rise, adaptation can no longer be treated as an afterthought; it must become a central pillar of public policy.