Dr Shabana Safdar Khan
It has become far too easy for the world to warn Pakistan about climate risks while doing little to ease its struggle. From the World Bank’s reports on environmental fragility to the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility, international institutions continue to speak the language of support but deliver the reality of debt. Their frameworks, conditions, and technical advice come dressed as partnerships but often leave Pakistan burdened with new obligations rather than genuine relief.
At the Sustainable Development Conference in Islamabad, this imbalance once again resurfaced. Financial institutions expressed deep concern about Pakistan’s rising climate vulnerability, water stress, and rapid population growth. Their remarks were presented as guidance, but they echoed the same hollow rhetoric that has defined global climate politics — concern without commitment.
The truth is that Pakistan faces one of the world’s most severe climate emergencies with the least international support. The Loss and Damage Fund, once celebrated as a breakthrough for climate justice, remains symbolic. Its procedures are slow, its scope narrow, and its impact barely visible in countries that are literally drowning. Climate adaptation financing is equally sluggish — and when it arrives, it usually comes in the form of loans, further tightening fiscal constraints on already indebted economies.
None of this absolves Pakistan of responsibility. Our environmental governance is weak, air quality among the worst in Asia, and groundwater is vanishing. Rapid population growth continues to outpace resource availability, while provincial and federal agencies remain disconnected in climate planning. Pakistan must reform its internal systems, improve disaster preparedness, and invest in local resilience. Yet, no nation can face climate disasters of such magnitude alone.
The global response remains fundamentally unjust. Wealthier nations, the historical emitters, have turned climate financing into a bureaucratic maze of promises and paperwork. Instead of predictable grants, developing countries are offered climate loans tied to austerity or reform conditions. In reality, this is climate colonialism — a system where the poor are made to pay for the pollution of the rich.
If the world is serious about climate justice, then it must replace token assistance with sustained and unconditional financial support. Pakistan needs more than advice; it needs resources to rebuild. Predictable financing, grant-based partnerships, and technology transfers should define the next phase of global climate cooperation.
Pakistan’s 2022 floods displaced millions, destroyed livelihoods, and caused over $30 billion in losses. Yet, the international community’s pledges remain unfulfilled or redirected through existing debt mechanisms. This is not solidarity — it is survival politics disguised as support.
Pakistan is trying to act. From climate diplomacy at COP summits to adaptation projects under provincial governments, the country has shown commitment. But these efforts will always fall short in the absence of global fairness. The climate crisis is not a regional disaster; it is a global moral test.
For Pakistan, climate adaptation is no longer about future planning — it is about national survival. What the country needs today is not sympathy or seminars but climate financing that arrives on time and without strings. Until the global north accepts that justice requires payment, not promises, Pakistan’s struggle will remain the story of a nation punished for the emissions of others.
