Floods impact over five million, destroy 4,100 villages, claim 1,000 lives
\n New York
\nPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on the international community to fulfil its promises on climate finance, stating that loading more debt onto vulnerable nations is not a solution to the climate crisis.
\nPM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan\u2019s acute vulnerability, noting the country is still recovering from the devastating 2022 floods that caused over $30 billion in losses. He added that this year\u2019s monsoon season has already \u201cimpacted more than five million people, destroyed 4,100 villages, and claimed over 1,000 precious lives.\u201d
\nDespite contributing less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan \u201cbears impacts far beyond our share,\u201d the prime minister emphasised. However, he reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to its climate goals, having already achieved its unconditional target of a 15% reduction in projected emissions by 2030.
\nDespite Pakistan\u2019s minimal role in causing global emissions, the Prime Minister said the country bears a disproportionate burden of the impacts. He reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to climate action, announcing new goals to generate 62% of energy from renewables and hydropower by 2035 and shift 30% of transport to electric power.
\nOfficial data from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reveals the heavy toll of the 2025 monsoon season, recording at least 956 fatalities and 1,062 injuries between June 26 and September 12.
\nThe human loss was most acute in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, with 504 and 268 deaths respectively, primarily from flash floods and building collapses. The destruction extended to infrastructure, with over 8,480 houses damaged, nearly 6,500 livestock lost, and more than 1,100 kilometers of roads and bridges destroyed across the country.
\nIn response, a large-scale relief effort was mounted, involving 5,399 rescue operations that evacuated close to 2.8 million people, while relief and medical camps provided shelter for 101,000 displaced individuals and treatment for over 355,000 patients.
\nUN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres called for ambitious new national plans. \u201cClean is competitive, and climate action is imperative,\u201d he said, pushing for a clear strategy to deliver $1.3 trillion in annual climate finance.
\nHe urged nations to submit strong new climate plans for 2035, stressing that the upcoming COP30 in Brazil must deliver a \u201ccredible global response plan.\u201d This includes a concrete path to mobilizing the agreed $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance by 2035.
\nGuterres also called for \u201ceffective debt relief\u201d for developing nations, which are suffering the most from a crisis they did the least to cause.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Floods impact over five million, destroy 4,100 villages, claim 1,000 lives New York Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called on the international community to fulfil its promises on climate finance, stating that loading more debt onto vulnerable nations is not a solution to the climate crisis. PM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan\u2019s acute vulnerability, noting the country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-504956","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n