This is hardly news: Pakistan is facing a spate of challenges, among which the displacement of its citizens from extreme weather events is tearing its way to the top.
Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index, and—citing stressed resources and coping capacity—it is among the “highly vulnerable,” states the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative. The 2022 floods, Pakistan’s worst yet, displaced some 33 million people. As global temperatures rise, and projections are dire, the ranks of our climate refugees will swell even further.
Is there a safety net for families affected by climate-induced displacement? Pakistan’s refugees—uprooted and brutalized by natural disaster—are not even recognized as a separate category. This leaves gaps that remain unbridged. It is up to our elected representatives to step up and meet the moment. Pakistan’s climate refugees need a humane, sustainable system put in place through force of law, not a pastiche of pity. This system must ensure protection of forcibly abandoned assets, collaboration across society, economic empowerment and inclusion, prevention of exploitation, and transparency.
First, in order to streamline resource allocation and management, the authorities must establish and maintain a comprehensive climate-refugee database, which would include biometric and medical information.
Second, we must protect the property rights of those displaced. The land, homes, and livelihoods that refugees leave behind must not be gobbled up by opportunists. If the government does not step in, there will be nothing for these people to return to. A system to catalogue and safeguard forcibly abandoned assets is a moral imperative. We need to rebuild homes, offer restitution where necessary, and keep hope alive for millions among us who have lost everything.
Third, post-disaster relief and rehabilitation work will take a village. The state must build a lifeline coalition with nongovernmental organizations, international agencies, traditional and social media, activists, influencers to shoulder responsibility and raise awareness. As a country that contributes only marginally to global greenhouse emissions but suffers disproportionally, its climate coalition must shake up international forums in support of rightful reparations in line with the Paris Agreements. Tent cities must not become ghettos, they must not be deprived of access to healthcare, clean drinking water, waste management, schooling. Even such basic care would attest to our values as a nation.
Fourth, economic empowerment. Providing skills training to climate refugees and encouraging their integration into the local economy, including through public-private partnerships, will resuscitate their confidence and give them desperately needed hope for the road ahead. Without this, these displaced would be caught in a bitter cycle of despair and dependency—which will only lead to consequences deleterious to the country.
Fifth, it is women and children who constitute the most vulnerable from among the vulnerable. In tent cities, there is high risk of their harassment, trafficking, exploitation, and abuse. In order to prevent the worst and to protect the innocent, it is vital to have oversight, legal guardrails, and mandatory training and awareness programs for law enforcement officials and volunteers. Parliament must prioritize such protections.
Finally, trust between climate refugees and the government can only be established if transparency and accountability serve as foundations. Refugees must be kept responsibly updated about the state of the towns and villages they had to flee and about realistic timelines for their return. Trust demands candor for clarity.
The storms are coming, and the lives of millions hang in the balance. Enacting laws to prevent our most vulnerable from being swept away by the tide of legal limbo is not just a call to action—it’s a moral duty. We must show the world, and more importantly ourselves, that we stand with our poorest and bravest citizens in their darkest hours. Their survival is not just a test of their resilience, but a measure of our humanity. The time to act is now—before the next flood, before the next crisis, before the next tragedy.
[Full disclosure: The author is the son of this platform’s editor. His work has also been published in The News and on the Geo TV website.]