Aatika Murtaza
For decades, economic instability, energy shortages and geopolitical challenges have defined Pakistan’s security and development agenda. Today, climate change is an even more significant threat, increasingly disrupting livelihoods, straining public institutions and undermining sustainable development. Climate risks are not like other crises. They build up over time, making socioeconomic vulnerabilities worse and laying bare deep-rooted weaknesses in governance and planning.
As extreme climatic conditions are increasing in frequency and intensity across the country, there is an alarming question: Is Pakistan ready to face a changing climate? The recent experience of the country shows that climate extremes are no longer episodic events in the environment, but a continuous policy challenge with far-reaching implications on sustainable development and national resilience.
Aforementioned climate catastrophes illustrate that Pakistan is not facing isolated climate disasters, but a pattern of increasing frequent and interconnected climate extremes. After the devastating floods in 2022 that affected over 33 million people, claimed more than 1,700 lives, and caused an estimated US$30 billion in damages and economic losses, the country has continued to experience growing climate risks.
The 2025 monsoon season again affected communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan with heavy rainfall, flash floods from cloudbursts and urban flooding. By September 2025, the country’s flooding had claimed more than 900 lives, displaced more than 4.4 million people in Punjab province alone, covered over 4,500 villages and displaced some 2.4 million residents, highlighting the country’s repeated vulnerability to climate-related disasters.
Looking ahead, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned in June 2026 that above-normal temperatures, glacier melt, localized cloudbursts, and heavy monsoon rainfall could further increase the risks of flash floods and urban flooding. These repeated crises highlight that climate variability is becoming Pakistan’s new normal, demanding a shift from emergency response to long-term climate resilience and proactive risk management.
These recurring disasters also expose a deeper governance deficit that extends beyond the changing climate itself. Although global warming has increased the likelihood of extreme weather events, the magnitude of their impacts in Pakistan is largely determined by policy and planning decisions.
Disaster risk has increased greatly due to rapid urbanization, the occupation of natural flood plains, inadequate drainage infrastructure and weak enforcement of land-use regulations. The 2025 tragedy in the Swat River, in which tourists were washed away following a sudden rise in the level of the river despite warnings from the weather department, showed significant gaps in early warning communication, emergency preparedness and coordination between institutions.
Another example of how settlements and infrastructure in highly vulnerable mountainous areas are poorly protected against increasingly intense rainfall was the catastrophic cloudburst in Buner. The 2025 monsoon floods in Punjab also underscored the consequences of permitting residential development in the historical flood plain of the Ravi River.
And as floodwaters reclaimed parts of their natural course, some nearby housing developments were inundated, showing how development that ignores environmental realities can exacerbate climate risks. These examples demonstrate that climate change may be the origin of the hazard, but it is governance failures, poor planning and inadequate infrastructure that ultimately turn that hazard into a humanitarian and economic disaster.
In order to tackle these governance failures, Pakistan needs to move from short-term disaster response to long-term climate resilience embedded within its development agenda. Instead of rebuilding vulnerable infrastructure after every disaster, policymakers need to invest in climate-resilient roads, bridges, drainage, schools and hospitals that are designed to withstand future climate extremes.
Equally important is the rigorous implementation of risk-informed land-use planning to prohibit settlements and commercial developments in floodplains and other high-risk areas. Pakistan should also improve its early warning systems by linking meteorological forecasting with emergency response mechanisms at the district level so that early warnings reach the vulnerable communities.
The newly introduced National Adaptation Plan offers a valuable policy framework, but its effectiveness relies on proper implementation, coordinated efforts among agencies, and ongoing financial support. On a community level, prioritizing nature-based solutions, such as wetland restoration, safeguarding river corridors, enhancing urban green areas, and improving watershed management, can alleviate flood severity while addressing extreme heat.
Therefore, enhancing resilience is not simply about responding to disasters more effectively; it involves minimizing future risks through data-driven planning, stronger institutions, and climate-smart development that protects both lives and economic prosperity.
Enhancing climate resilience is not just an environmental duty but a strategic investment in Pakistan’s future. As the nation faces increasingly erratic climate extremes, the decision is no longer between reacting to disasters and preventing them, it must accomplish both, with a much stronger focus on preparedness and resilience.
The success of current policy choices will shape the intensity of future crises. By prioritizing climate resilience in development planning, Pakistan can break free from a cycle of repeated disasters and create a safer, more sustainable future for upcoming generations.
The writer is an Environmental Science graduate from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. Her interests include climate change, environmental policy, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development, with a focus on promoting evidence-based solutions to Pakistan’s environmental challenges.
