September 21, 2025
Web desk
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s climate change minister Musadik Malik has described the country’s ongoing climate disaster as a “crisis of justice,” after weeks of unprecedented floods killed more than 1,000 people and displaced over two million since late June. The UN estimates that more than six million Pakistanis have been affected, with widespread damage to homes, farmland, and livestock, further straining a nation already ranked among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries despite contributing less than one percent of global emissions.
Malik warned that Pakistan’s agriculture-dependent economy is at risk of collapse as glaciers melt at accelerating rates, threatening rivers and canals that feed nearly 55 percent of the population engaged in farming. He added that repeated floods not only destroy crops but also wipe out schools, hospitals, and centuries-old cultural sites, leaving behind disease outbreaks, water shortages, and rising child mortality.
Beyond flooding, Pakistan is grappling with severe smog in Punjab, unsafe drinking water even in major cities, and worsening solid waste pollution, all of which Malik said are compounding climate risks. He criticized the global response, arguing that while wealthy nations generate the majority of emissions, they also absorb most of the climate financing, leaving vulnerable countries like Pakistan with only a fraction of the support needed to build resilience.
“This is not just a climate crisis, it’s a crisis of justice,” Malik stressed, accusing developed economies of consuming and polluting the environment while leaving poorer nations to face the fallout. He said Pakistan would continue pursuing adaptation measures within its limited resources but urged for a fairer global system, warning that without equitable financing, the devastation from floods and climate change will only worsen.
