Climate Risk Index 2025: Addressing Climate Challenges in Pakistan

The Climate Risk Index 2025 reveals the severe impacts of climate change, particularly stressing the vulnerability of countries like Pakistan, which faces ongoing climate-related hazards. The report emphasizes the necessity of enhanced resilience measures and international financial support, highlighting significant economic losses caused by recent disasters. It advocates for robust governance frameworks and targeted adaptation strategies to combat the increasing challenges posed by climate change.

The Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2025, produced by Germanwatch and released in February 2025, underscores the intensifying consequences of climate change, emphasizing the need for improved resilience approaches. This report analyzes climate impacts from 1993 to 2022, highlighting the significance of annual data over 30 years. Since its inception in 2006, the CRI has become a pivotal resource for evaluating the effects of extreme weather events on countries.

Countries are generally classified into two categories: those facing isolated extreme events and those, such as China, India, and Pakistan, that contend with regular climate-related hazards. The report stresses the dire human and economic consequences of climate inaction, noting over 765,000 deaths globally and approximately $4.2 trillion in direct losses due to more than 9,400 extreme weather events recorded.

In the 1993-2022 CRI rankings, Dominica, China, and Honduras were the most impacted by extreme weather. However, the 2022 analysis depicts a particularly troubling scenario for Pakistan, which suffers immense economic losses relative to its size. Notably, Pakistan faced severe flooding during the summer monsoon of 2022 that impacted over 33 million individuals, leading to over 1,700 fatalities and causing around $15 billion in damages, excluding reconstruction needs estimated at $16 billion.

The 2022 floods highlighted Pakistan’s heightened vulnerability to climate change, despite the country contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. The World Bank has already projected the financial toll of these disasters, estimating reconstruction costs would exceed $16 billion, marking one of history’s costliest disasters. Moreover, climate change intensified monsoon rainfall by approximately 50%, worsening existing social inequities.

The report reveals that the floods amplified gender disparities in Pakistan, particularly affecting women in agriculture and increasing their exposure to gender-based violence due to dislocation and insecure living situations. Furthermore, extreme heat occurrences have surged by up to 30 times, further complicating community resilience efforts.

Utilizing data from the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the CRI advocates for a reassessment of global resilience initiatives. It emphasizes the urgent need for investments in comprehensive resilience measures. Despite ongoing challenges, executing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 13 aimed at climate action, faces stagnation as the frequency of extreme weather further endangers food and water security, complicating overall goal attainment.

The report links climate change to security threats, stating that its impacts challenge both individual welfare and national stability. This climate-security nexus is shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors, which can exacerbate tensions in areas already facing ethnic conflicts, leading marginalized agricultural communities in Asia and Africa to heightened risks of conflict amid climate disturbances.

Effective governance and risk management frameworks are deemed essential. The report underscores the importance of implementing the Sendai Framework (2015-2030) by UNDRR as foundational to these efforts. Additionally, the establishment of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) is crucial for determining country-specific adaptation needs. Meanwhile, Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) and the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) under the Paris Agreement are highlighted as critical for fostering resilience.

However, the report conveys a troubling outlook for resilience financing, indicating that vulnerable countries urgently require more financial support. The recent COP29 decision regarding the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), targeting $300 billion annually by 2035 for developing nations, is criticized for its ambition and clarity shortcomings, particularly regarding loss and damage initiatives. This financial shortcoming is alarming, given the significant adaptation financing gaps relative to actual needs and commitments.

As the report notes, the IPCC (2022) anticipates that future human vulnerability will concentrate in areas struggling to provide essential infrastructure and services. Between 1993 and 2022, storms caused 35% of fatalities, heatwaves 30%, and floods 27%, with floods affecting half of the impacted populations. Economically, storms were responsible for approximately 56% of total losses, estimated around $2.33 trillion, with floods accounting for 32%, approximately $1.33 trillion.

The CRI findings are clear: insufficient mitigation efforts leave even affluent nations exposed to severe climate impacts. It is crucial for both high-income nations and major contributors to amplify mitigation actions, elevate climate targets, and implement effective policies through enhanced nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to maintain global warming close to 1.5°C and effectively manage future climate repercussions.

The report provides significant insights to bolster national climate resilience strategies. It emphasizes the necessity of prioritizing investments in resilient infrastructure and early warning systems. Policymakers are encouraged to leverage these insights to drive targeted adaptation efforts, obtain international climate financing, and enhance disaster preparedness across vulnerable regions in all provinces.

The Climate Risk Index 2025 highlights the damaging effects of climate change on countries like Pakistan, which faces serious vulnerabilities exacerbated by extreme weather events. The report underscores the need for immediate action on resilience financing, infrastructure, and targeted adaptation measures to safeguard communities. Furthermore, a collaborative approach involving local, national, and international efforts is vital to address the climate crisis and build a sustainable future.

Original Source: www.thenews.com.pk