By Zainab Ahmad, Religion and Politics Student at King’s College London
Pakistan has declared a national emergency as catastrophic floods continue to wreak havoc on the nation, forcing 33 million people to flee their homes and killing more than 1,000 people since June. The flooding has been called a “major climate calamity” by Pakistan’s top climate official. Homes, roads, and bridges have been destroyed by floods across Pakistan, where some areas have had upwards of 600% more rain than would be normal. Survivors have lost everything in the floodwaters including their homes, and many losing their family members and friends.
The Guardian’s Shah Meer Baloch, reporting from Pakistan, has said that “more than half of Pakistan, in four corners of the country, are underwater”, describing it as a complete climate catastrophe. Bridges, roads, and train lines have all been destroyed by the flash floods, and the Army has been called throughout all of Pakistan as the helicopters are the sole means of reaching displaced and affected people. Pakistan has also been experiencing an economic crisis for the past few months which has made the task of mobilising relief and rescue efforts across the country extremely difficult.
After the floods exposed the devastating effects of climate change, Amnesty International has argued that wealthier states that bear responsibility for it must right historical wrongs and aid vulnerable, low-emitting nations like Pakistan. According to research conducted jointly by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, Pakistan has contributed 0.4% of historical emissions since 1959 but is nevertheless considered to be one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions. According to preliminary estimates, these floods alone have cost the nation around $10 billion. The recent floods serve as a devastating reminder that the effects of climate change are becoming more severe, highlighting the necessity of states accelerating their efforts at adaptation and mitigation.
According to Amnesty International’s Pakistan Campaigner Rimmel Mohydin, “The destruction and death in Pakistan has shown how these floods risk entrenching existing inequalities and putting millions at risk of homelessness, hunger, ill-health, and even premature death. In addition, floods will make already existing inequities based on people’s gender, socioeconomic status, and age worse. The situation will undoubtedly be far more detrimental for marginalised groups such as the poor.
Asad Rehman, executive director of War, has called on rich counties to reach net zero emissions by 2030 as opposed to pursuing geoengineering plans like carbon capture and storage – a strategy supported by President Biden’s new Inflation Reduction Act. Until the countries primarily responsible for producing most of the world’s fossil fuel emissions take urgent and immediate action in lowering their fossil fuel emissions, countries like Pakistan will continue to be on the receiving end of a deadly interplay between a global calamity for which people bear no responsibility, rising hunger, entrenched inequality, and a rigged economic system.
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