Pakistan, a country with over a quarter billion people, is one that is extremely vulnerable to climate change.Pakistan, with 25% of its population living in poverty, contributes just 1% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Nevertheless, it experiences increasingly frequent heatwaves, droughts, and catastrophic floods driven by the changing climate.
The South Asian monsoon is a vital part of life for 2 billion people.These rains from June to September are essential for the region’s crops and for reducing its searing heat. However, for the second time in three years, record-breaking rains in the Himalayas have made the monsoon deadly for millions of people across Pakistan.
Floods pouring out of the Himalayas into Pakistan in August and September killed a thousand people and forced the evacuation of 2.5 million people, mostly poor villagers.More than 4,000 villages were inundated.
Pakistan’s geography makes it a hotspot for increases in extreme rainfall, putting it on the front line of climate change.Global warming causes the atmosphere to be able hold more moisture.Monsoon storms now form in a warmer atmosphere that holds and dumps far more moisture in short bursts, causing flash floods and landslides.In addition, record high temperatures are also occurring in parts of Pakistan.
Pakistan is struggling to upgrade its infrastructure and implement other measures to mitigate the effects of climate change and continues to seek help from international sources.It is a case study in how vulnerable many of the world’s poorest people are to the climate change that now seems increasingly unstoppable.
