Pakistan’s climate crisis is no longer episodic, sectoral, or abstract. It is systemic. From plastic-choked drains in cities to catastrophic floods, from smog-filled winters to mounting climate debt, Pakistan’s lived climate reality exposes the structural failures of global climate governance and domestic policy incoherence. This advocacy brief synthesises three expert-led public conversations to tell one continuous story of climate change, where material choices, governance gaps, scientific warnings, and global inequities intersect. Drawing on insights from an environmental entrepreneur, Maria Qayyum, a global climate policy practitioner, Aftab Alam, and Pakistan’s Chief Meteorologist, Dr Mohammad Afzal, the brief argues that Pakistan’s climate vulnerability is produced not only by emissions elsewhere but also by policy vacuums, weak accountability, delayed finance, and fragmented institutions at home. At the same time, the conversations reveal a powerful counter-narrative: youth leadership, scientific capacity, grassroots innovation, and policy windows that civil society must urgently seize. This document is written as an advocacy tool. It is designed to help civil society organisations, climate justice networks, and citizen movements sharpen their demands, strengthen their narratives, and anchor their advocacy in evidence, lived experience, and expert insight.

Islamabad was originally designed as a green, climate-resilient capital, with forests, open spaces, and natural corridors forming the core of its urban identity. Over time, rapid population growth, unplanned expansion, and infrastructure projects have significantly reduced tree cover and green land, weakening the city’s natural climate buffers. The blog highlights how recent large-scale tree cutting, particularly in areas like Shakarparian, has sparked public and scientific concern over environmental governance, transparency, and long-term ecological impact. It emphasizes that protecting urban forests is essential for managing heat, flooding, air quality, and public health, and calls for science-based policies, accountability, and citizen engagement to safeguard Islamabad’s environmental future.

Climate change has emerged as a major driver of food insecurity in Pakistan, disrupting an agriculture-dependent economy that supports over a third of the population. Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, the country faces severe climate impacts floods, droughts, heatwaves, and erratic rainfall that have reduced crop yields, harmed livestock, and destabilized food supply chains. As a result, millions face food insecurity, undernourishment, and limited access to nutritious diets, particularly in vulnerable rural and low-income communities. While Pakistan has taken steps toward climate adaptation, including climate-smart agriculture and disaster risk reduction, these efforts remain insufficient. Urgent investment in resilient food systems, water management, early warning mechanisms, and nutrition-focused policies is essential to safeguard livelihoods, public health, and future generations.