Climate Justice Demands Action Within Pakistan, Not Just Abroad

As a publication based in Pakistan, Dawn understands the profound and often devastating impact of climate change on our nation. We are acutely aware of the global injustice where countries like ours bear the brunt of a crisis they did little to create. This article underscores a critical point often overlooked in international discourse: the same pattern of injustice plays out within Pakistan itself.

The regions most battered by floods, heatwaves, and glacial floods are frequently the least responsible for the high-emission lifestyles that drive climate change. While we have consistently called out the international community for failing to provide adequate financing for climate adaptation, it is equally imperative that we acknowledge and address the internal disparities. The data, readily available from sources like the Met Office and the Population Council's District Vulnerability Index, clearly shows that the most vulnerable districts are concentrated in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and parts of Sindh and Punjab.

These areas, home to millions living with deep structural disadvantage, remote communities, and livelihoods dependent on climate-sensitive agriculture, are repeatedly hit hardest. Their limited resources and infrastructure mean they cannot absorb shocks, rebuild, or return to their previous lives. The scenes from the 2022 floods, which should have shamed us all, are a stark reminder of this reality. Ignoring these millions living on the edge, highly exposed and poorly protected, only exacerbates the damage of international climate injustice and deepens internal inequalities. Building true climate resilience requires us to place the reduction of these chronic vulnerabilities at the core of our national development agenda.