Rain Intensity in Pakistan to See Shocking Rise Due to Climate Change

At the recent COP27 conference, research studies showed that climate change may have caused a 50% increase in rainfall intensity in Pakistan.

According to the studies, Pakistan serves as a “powerful example” of the effects of “loss and damage” due to climate change. In the summer of 2022, a heat wave caused the melting of glaciers, which was followed by extreme rainfall that resulted in flooding in nearly one-third of the country.

In Pakistan, severe flooding turned farm fields into vast lakes, leaving communities stranded for weeks and causing more than 1,700 deaths. The disaster also resulted in the loss of homes and livelihoods for millions of people and caused damage to over 4 million acres of crops, orchards, and livestock.

The stagnant flood waters also led to a surge in malaria cases due to an increase in mosquito breeding. Despite contributing a small percentage of global greenhouse gas emissions, the effects of climate change were felt in Pakistan, highlighting the interconnected nature of the global climate and the fact that emissions from any location can have a worldwide impact.

The studies called for the implementation of a clear system for “loss and damage” payments from wealthy countries. This term refers to the serious and often irreversible impacts of climate change, particularly in vulnerable communities, that are already being experienced around the world.

“Loss and damage” refers to the impacts of human-induced climate change on individuals and communities around the globe. While “damage” refers to tangible items that can be repaired, such as damaged homes, “losses” refer to irreparable losses, such as human lives.

Pakistan played a key role in the establishment of a “loss and damage finance facility” at COP27, a fund supported by major emitters to aid vulnerable communities impacted by loss and damage resulting from climate change.

A senior official revealed that “loss and damage” can encompass a wide range of impacts, including harm to biodiversity, species, culture, traditions, heritage, human dignity, ecosystem services, human life, mobility, humanidentity, knowledge and ways of knowing, mental and emotional well-being, physical health, productive land, self-determination, influence, sense of place, social fabric, sovereignty, and territory, all of which may be caused by climate-induced events.

The official stated that the devastating floods in Pakistan demonstrate the need for reparations as a matter of climate justice. He emphasized that delayed justice can have severe consequences for vulnerable populations, stating that “delayed justice is a death sentence for vulnerable people.”