Cross-border action on climate disasters is urgent in South Asia

This year’s monsoon-season floods left a trial of devastation in Pakistan, leading to more than 1,700 deaths, impacting over 33 million people, and leaving behind damage estimated at around USD 15 billion. The floods, described as a “climate catastrophe” by Pakistan’s climate change minister Sherry Rehman, followed soon after a deadly spring heatwave in South Asia, which saw the highest temperatures recorded in 122 years in parts of the region.

These see-sawing extreme weather events are indicative of a swiftly changing climate and highlight an urgent need for regional cooperation to adapt and build resilience. The human and economic costs of climate vulnerability are extremely high in South Asia. Floods alone could cost the region as much as USD 215 billion every year by 2030, and by 2050, climate migrants in the region could number up to 40 million. This is a staggering economic dent and an immense challenge for a region still recovering from the pandemic and investing in sustainable and equitable growth.

For South Asian countries, the impact of climate change is a shared concern as they are linked by common rivers, ecosystems, and weather systems. They share the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush mountain ranges. Five out of eight countries face rising sea levels. Weather and climate hazards do not stop at national borders and no country can deal with the magnitude of the challenge on their own.

Over 800 million people in South Asia live in projected climate vulnerable hotspots – areas which will be impacted by rising temperatures and extreme weather events by 2050, if intensive carbon emissions continue. Cross-country collaboration in the region could unlock more efficient and effective use of the financial, technical, and human resources required to strengthen climate resilience. Here are a few areas where joint efforts can catalyze impact.

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