According to the 2020 Global Climate Change report of Germanwatch think tank, Pakistan is now the country fifth most vulnerable to climate change. The statistics are not only alarming on paper; their effects are quite tangible. The annual monsoon flooding now disrupts the lives of millions of people in the country. In 2020, Karachi saw an unprecedented amount of rainfall due to which 41 people lost their lives. Climate change experts say deforestation is a leading reason for increased flooding in the country. According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), Pakistan has the second highest rate of deforestation in Asia. The reasons for this range from an unhealthy dependency on unplanned urban development, a lack of afforestation, and the lack of political will to hold stop the country’s powerful timber.

Deforestation is also to blame for the smog problem in the country. Lahore is now one of the most polluted cities in the world. The October-February period is now referred to as the ‘smog season’ in Lahore. This season is marked poor visibility and toxic air. According to Prime Minister Imran Khan, “Pakistan faces a clear and present danger from the changing climate especially in terms of water stress and food security. We are spending around 8 percent of our annual budgetary resources to offset these impacts.” The government’s initiatives in this regard include the afforestation drive called the 10 Billion Tress Tsunami, the enhanced disaster resilience programme, the Green stimulus initiative and the green post-Covid economy initiative.

Most countries across the globe have started taking the challenge of climate adaption seriously. The Sri Lankan Mangrove Conservation is helping the country become the first nation in history to preserve and replant all of its mangrove forests. Recently, the World Bank has announced a loan and technical support for Pakistan’s green initiatives.

The government is so satisfied with its achievement and so conscious of the praise that has come its way that the failure of the United States president to invite Pakistan to the Leaders’ Summit on climate change came as a rude shock. Its spokespersons and supporters have since sought to portray this either as an omission on the part of the US that will hopefully be corrected in the near future or a calculated snub on account of strained relations over problems in Afghanistan and elsewhere.