Pakistan has suffered unimaginable loss of life, livelihoods, damage to infrastructure, and much more that will become apparent in the coming weeks and months, due to floods that have engulfed more than one-third of the country. Conservative estimates put the death toll at around 1400 while the economic loss stands between $10-15 billion, with both figures are likely to rise. The destruction of crops that is in excess of 2 million acres and orchards is forcing the country to import essential food items at a time when the economy is in tatters. Crops such as cotton and rice that are typically an export will become an import to keep mouths fed and the essential textile industry going. Monsoon rains are an annual occurrence with varying intensity and while it can be argued that the country lacks the preparedness to anticipate and deal with more than conventional rainfall, the floods this year are of an intensity not witnessed in recent history, a combination of continuous heavy rainfall, cloud bursts, excessive glacial melt and flash flooding all at once that no one could have reasonably anticipated or prepared for. The increasingly extreme heat proceeded by the catastrophic monsoon season this year is a testament to how the worst effects of climate change are not years away but are rather already upon us.
What is more, Pakistan has a very small carbon footprint in the world yet it is worst-affected by the global climate crisis. This is true for many third world countries that will be suffering over the coming years due to the excesses of first world western countries and their inaction over taking timely measures to reduce their carbon emissions and slow down climate change. The same was rightly reiterated by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, terming the world’s response so far as “very unfair”, appealing for massive financial support. Although the UN has launched a $160 million emergency relief plan and the WHO airlifted essential medical supplies yesterday, much more needs to be done to not only ensure the safety of the millions who have been displaced but also to rebuild.
