Climate change costs Pakistan $45bn, claims over 2,000 lives in three years

PESHAWAR: Due to climate change, Pakistan suffered economic losses amounting to $45 billion over the past three years (2022 to 2024) from devastating floods, intense heatwaves, and droughts. More than 2,000 people lost their lives during this period.

According to documents from the Federal Ministry of Climate Change in Islamabad, the country has faced significant economic and human losses due to climate-related disasters over the past three years.

It said that the 2022 floods alone caused damages worth $30 billion. In addition to the floods, climate-related impacts between 2022 and 2024 led to further losses exceeding $14.9 billion.

Details shared by the Federal Ministry of Climate Change state that the 2022 floods were the worst in Pakistan’s history, resulting in $30 billion in damages and a 2.2 per cent decline in the country’s GDP.

The agricultural sector was the hardest hit, with over 1,700 people killed and 8 million displaced. The agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors collectively suffered damages worth $5 billion, the documents said.

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As a result of ongoing climate change, Pakistan has experienced water shortages over the past three years, significantly reducing per capita water availability.

Similarly, from May to July 2023, southern parts of the country were severely affected by a heatwave, with temperatures in Sindh soaring up to 49°C. The heatwave led to 568 deaths, including 427 in Karachi alone. Additionally, 8.6 million people across 26 districts faced food insecurity.

According to data from the Federal Ministry of Climate Change, prolonged droughts linked to climate change over the past three years have reduced wheat and cotton yields. Wheat production fell 17 per cent short of the target, and the area under wheat cultivation shrank by 2 per cent.