Description
Pakistan today stands at the crossroads of climate collapse and geopolitical neglect. It emits less than one percent of global carbon, yet suffers some of the world’s deadliest floods, cloudbursts and unpredictable rains. The 2022 floods alone submerged one-third of the country, exposing how global carbon inequality translates directly into human misery. This paper situates Pakistan’s crisis within the broader theory of environmental justice and postcolonial political ecology, arguing that the global climate order reflects a moral failure of responsibility and reciprocity.
At the same time, the paper examines the emerging “water weaponization” in South Asia, where both India and Afghanistan have used upstream control and dam politics to pressure Pakistan. This dual exposure—to external carbon injustice and regional hydro-politics—makes Pakistan a unique case study in climate vulnerability and security. Methodologically, the paper relies on a combination of policy analysis, media archives, and first-hand interviews with local communities and water experts, connecting environmental data with lived experience. It calls for a rethinking of justice in both climate and transboundary water governance.
Keywords: climate injustice, Pakistan floods, global carbon inequality, water weaponization, Indus Waters Treaty, Afghanistan dams, South Asia, environmental ethics
