Amnesty International warned in a report on Monday that Pakistan’s healthcare and disaster response systems failed to meet the needs of the elderly and children, who were the most vulnerable to the risks of death and disease due to extreme weather events related to climate change.
The report noted the increasing frequency of heatwaves and floods overwhelmed Pakistan’s already fragile healthcare system, leading to a rise in death tolls among children and the elderly. Amnesty International further explained that the unusual heat experienced in Pakistan caused heavy rains and flooding. These floods facilitated the spread of waterborne diseases and respiratory illnesses, predominantly affecting the elderly and young children. Interviews conducted by the organization revealed that many people in Pakistan lost siblings due to mosquito bites or waterborne diseases, with the highest death rates observed in maternal and neonatal health following the floods in 2022. Interviewed locals reported that, in addition to the flooding itself, the lack of timely evacuation measures exacerbated the illnesses of children and older individuals.
Similarly, the unprecedented heatwaves in Pakistan had particularly severe impacts on children and older adults, especially those with preexisting health issues. According to the conducted interviews, the heatwaves of 2022 and 2024 significantly worsened the health of many Pakistani nationals, resulting in fatalities. The rights group noted that all those who died were over 50 years old, and many of them had to continue to work in extreme heat due to a lack of income or social assistance.
Lastly, Amnesty International recommended that the Pakistani government implement official and accurate data collection of the death toll among the population to better understand the climate crisis and its impacts. It also emphasized that although Pakistan must improve its infrastructure to counter climate disasters, addressing climate change is a shared responsibility with industrialized countries, which are primarily responsible for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Pakistan was ranked the eighth most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change, facing unpredictable weather changes that have led to disasters significantly affecting livelihoods and the health of local communities. To address the global climate emergency, the UN implemented the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius. However, more efforts are needed, as reducing GHG emissions requires countries to transform their industrial system and shift towards climate-resilient development, which necessitates significant funding for renewable energy projects.
The main focus of the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29) was to adopt a climate finance plan to help developing countries fund climate action. However, rights groups criticized the proposed financial plan for being insufficient to tackle the climate crisis impacting developing countries. Therefore, in a UN meeting ahead of COP 30, Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the need to increase financial support for these countries to help them adopt necessary measures to address the risks posed by climate change.
