Climate change is an economic emergency
\n Islamabad
\nMian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, and Former Provincial Minister Information Technology, has stated that the alarming forecast for the 2026 monsoon season is a climate crisis not merely an environmental challenge but the single largest threat to Pakistan\u2019s economic survival.
\nReferring to the recent warning issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Climate Change, Mian Zahid Hussain noted with deep concern that the 2026 monsoon is projected to be 22% to 26% more intense than previous years.
\n\u201cThe business community is deeply apprehensive about the projections of a 26% wetter monsoon season next year,\u201d Mian Zahid said.
\n\u201cWe are still recovering from the economic shocks of previous floods. Pakistan\u2019s economy, particularly the agricultural and industrial sectors, cannot sustain another hit of that magnitude.
\nWhen climate disasters wipe out 9% of our GDP while we struggle to achieve a 3-4% growth rate, it creates a deficit that no amount of external borrowing can fix.\u201d
\nThe business leader welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s recent directive to initiate immediate preparations for the 2026 monsoon but cautioned that directives must translate into visible action on the ground.
\nHe emphasized that \u201cpreparedness\u201d must go beyond purchasing tents and stockpiling food rations; it requires engineering solutions and infrastructure reinforcement.
\n\u201cThe government\u2019s short-term resilience plan is a step in the right direction, but we need a \u2018war-footing\u2019 approach,\u201d he stated. \u201cWe have a window of approximately 200 days before the pre-monsoon activity begins. This time must be utilized to dredge storm water drains in all industrial hubs, reinforce river embankments in Punjab and Sindh, and create safe spillways for the glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) threatening the north.\u201d
\nMian Zahid Hussain highlighted that the agricultural sector, the backbone of the national economy, is the most vulnerable. He pointed out that the cotton crop, which is vital for our textile exports, is repeatedly destroyed by erratic weather patterns. \u201cIf the farmer is destroyed, the industry is destroyed, and our export targets become impossible to meet,\u201d he warned. He urged the Ministry of National Food Security to work on introducing flood-resistant crop varieties and to educate farmers on shifting weather cycles immediately.
\nFurthermore, Mian Zahid Hussain called for the transparent utilization of climate funds. He suggested that the private sector be taken into confidence regarding the National Resilience Plan to ensure that industrial zones are protected from urban flooding, which frequently brings manufacturing to a halt in Karachi.
\n\u201cWe cannot stop the rain, but we can certainly stop the mismanagement that turns rain into a disaster,\u201d Mian Zahid remarked. \u201cThe business community stands ready to support the government in this national cause, but we demand a comprehensive, timeline-based strategy. Climate change is here, it is accelerating, and our response must be equally rapid.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Climate change is an economic emergency Islamabad Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, and Former Provincial Minister Information Technology, has stated that the alarming forecast for the 2026 monsoon season is a climate crisis not merely an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-515985","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n