Pakistan, a country that emits less than one percent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, now faces the consequences of a global warming crisis. One third of the country is underwater following an intense heat wave and a long monsoon season that has dumped a record amount of rain, leaving 33 million people displaced and killing more than 1,200 people.
Scientists believe there are several factors that have contributed to the flooding. Temperatures reached over 104 degrees Fahrenheit in Pakistan during the months of April and May. Considering that warmer air holds more moisture, meteorologists warned that there would be above-average rainfall during the monsoon season.
However, there’s another culprit to the flooding: melting glaciers. Pakistan is home to 7,200 glaciers. Pakistan has the largest number of glaciers outside the polar regions. This means that Pakistan, already one of the most vulnerable countries, will become increasingly susceptible to flooding in the years to come as the planet warms. In a 2021 study, a group of researchers found that the Himalayas — one of the main mountain ranges in the country — is melting at an unprecedented rate. “Our findings clearly show that ice is now being lost from Himalayan glaciers at a rate that is at least ten times higher than the average rate over past centuries,” said Jonathan Carrivick, the study’s lead author.
The deadly monsoon rains have destroyed road and communications infrastructure leaving millions of Pakistanis homeless and looking for higher ground. More than 1.2 million houses, 5,000 kilometers of road, and 240 bridges have been destroyed. Some have gone so far as sheltering in makeshift tents alongside damaged roads. Residents in southern Pakistan have taken it upon themselves to form new dikes with sandbags to prevent further inundation. Pakistan’s agriculture has also taken a massive hit. Two million acres of agricultural land have been flooded including cotton, sugarcane, and vegetable fields. And nearly 700,000 livestock have died. Food prices have already shot up due to the flooded crops and impassable roads which only exacerbates the situation.
Early estimates put the damage of the recent deadly floods at more than $10 billion. Pakistan has appealed for international help with some countries having already responded by sending supplies and aid such as China and the United States.
Pakistan’s finance ministry has warned of the impact. The loss of certain crops, like cotton, which is key for Pakistan’s textile sector that makes up more than 60% of the country’s exports, could devastate the country. This only exacerbates the situation in Pakistan where residents already face high inflation, a depreciating currency, and exorbitant food prices.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to release $1.1 billion in Pakistan bailout funds from an agreement entered in 2019. This is, of course, short of the actual need in Pakistan. The flooding in Pakistan is but only the first telltale signs of what’s in store in the future. And though the crisis in Pakistan seems far removed from our daily lives, we can expect the hurt to echo across the world. Many of the impacts of global warming are now simply irreversible. We are continuing to face forest fires, droughts, floods, and death at inconceivable rates. The looming question is: was this inevitable…can we change anything?
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