The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued a warning regarding the anticipated increase in the frequency and severity of floods and other extreme weather events due to climate change, emphasizing the need for proactive measures by the government of Pakistan to mitigate potential damage.
According to the latest report titled “Applying Spatial Analysis to Assess Crop Damage: A Case Study of Pakistan 2022 Floods”, Pakistan is highly susceptible to floods and faces an escalating risk of water-related disasters as a result of projected climate change impacts. It is crucial to strategize the utilization of real-time crop damage assessments, such as spatial analysis, to facilitate immediate disaster relief and recovery efforts.
The report highlights Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, ranking it among the most susceptible countries to extreme weather events and natural hazards. The Global Climate Risk Index 2021 positioned Pakistan as the world’s 8th most vulnerable nation. Projections indicate that Pakistan will experience warming exceeding the global average, leading to heightened risks such as glacial melting, increased drought severity, and reduced water availability for agriculture. Monsoon rainfall variability further exacerbates water availability uncertainty and exacerbates food insecurity.
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With over half of the population reliant on agriculture for livelihoods, climate warming poses significant threats to crop and livestock productivity, with water demand projected to increase by 60% by 2047. The devastating floods in June-August 2022 inflicted unprecedented damage, prompting a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) supported by ADB and other partners. Economic losses from the floods totaled $14.9 billion, with the agriculture sector, a key contributor to Pakistan’s economy, suffering losses of $3.7 billion.
The report underscores the importance of leveraging technology for crop monitoring, offering recommendations such as enhancing the capacity of government agencies in geographic information systems and remote sensing, integrating spatial analysis into statistical reporting systems, and fostering policymakers’ familiarity with and interpretation of spatial analysis results.
Additionally, ADB’s report “Regional Action on Climate Change: A Vision for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program” outlines efforts to deploy the energy transition mechanism (ETM) in the CAREC region, focusing on accelerating the retirement of coal-fired power plants and strategic decarbonization of key sectors.
