Pakistan will start losing about 6.5-9% of its GDP by 2050 due to changing climate patterns, according to the Country Climate and Development Report by the World Bank. The Climate Rate Index report in 2025 put Pakistan at the top of the list of the most affected countries based on 2022 data, the year when extensive flooding submerged approximately one third of the country, affecting 33 million people and caused $14.8bn worth of damages, as well as $15.2bn of economic losses.
Last year, more floods affected thousands, and a heatwave killed almost 600 people. According to a study conducted last year by the climate change ministry and Italian research institute EvK2CNR, Pakistan is home to 13,000-plus glaciers. The gradual rise in temperatures is resulting in the melting of glaciers, increasing the risk of flooding, damage to infrastructure, loss of life and land and water scarcity.
Last month, Amnesty International said in a report that Pakistan’s healthcare and disaster response systems are failing to meet the needs of children and older people who are most at risk of death and disease amid extreme weather events related to climate change. Children and older people in Pakistan are suffering the most from the climate crisis, exposed to extreme heat or floods that lead to disproportionate levels of death and disease. Recent media reports say that at least 32 people have been killed in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces since the start of the monsoon season. Last month, at least 32 people were also killed in severe storms.
For Pakistan, climate change is an existential crisis. It has given rise to a host of environmental issues that severely harm its economy, general health, and food security. Countless lives have been lost as a result of heatwaves and other forms of climatic disaster. Extreme weather events, droughts and floods have become a recurrent annual phenomenon. Due to massive flooding in Pakistan in 2022, millions of people were displaced and thousands of homes were washed away. The Pakistani Meteorological Department reported that August 2022 marked a historic climatic event, surpassing the records set in 1961 by receiving 243% more rainfall than the national average. Heavy rains and melting glaciers in 2024 resulted in widespread flooding, affecting over 1.5 million people. The impact of climate change on economic activity is severe – extensive infrastructure damage, declining agricultural output, and rising healthcare costs.
Pakistan’s capacity to invest in climate adaptation and resistance measures is limited by its stringent financial condition. According to a recent report, Pakistan needs an annual investment of $40 to $50bn until 2050 to meet the challenge of climate change. The World Bank report on Pakistan says that the country will need $368 billion by 2030 for climate mitigation and adaptation if it were to avoid floods, droughts, and heat waves.
To mitigate the issue of climate change, the government needs to involve international donors and lenders to improve the country’s well-being by addressing its increasing water shortages and developing more environmentally-friendly farming methods. But despite committing billions of dollars, whatever meagre funds received so far are mostly in the form of loans rather than grants, further exacerbating the economic and financial problems of developing countries, like Pakistan. In January 2023, pledges worth about $10bn from multilateral financial institutions and countries were reported. The following year, Pakistan received $2.8bn from international creditors against those pledges.
Earlier this year, the International Monetary Fund said Pakistan will receive $1.3bn under a new climate resilience loan programme, spanning 28 months. But these pledges and loans are not enough to mitigate the severity of climate calamity.
Through a $140 million climate investment fund, the UK is helping Pakistan by reducing the risk for investors in weather-resilient projects. According to some reports, Pakistan’s Gulf allies have also shown an interest in contributing $6 billion over the following five years to corporate farms operated by the military. Under the partnership framework, the World Bank will lend $20 billion over 10 years from 2026 to support low-income nations.
An urgent issue is the growing water crisis facing Pakistan. A special window of hope has been opened by the US-Pakistan Green Alliance which is addressing the issues of climate resilience, energy transformation, and sustainable economic prosperity. It is a good augury that Pakistan’s international partners are investing in water-efficient farming and promoting less water-intensive crops, thereby encouraging sustainable agriculture and enhancing the country’s resilience.
This requires that Pakistan should work more closely with the international community to enhance its water management, that should include afforestation, urban planning, investment in renewable energy and building of dams. Pakistan’s economy is significantly impacted by climate change. To ensure a better future, we need to reshape our environment by engaging communities, investing in clean energy, promoting sustainable farming practices, and adapting to changing climate patterns.