Open Access

Assessing Pakistan's Climatic Vulnerability: A Review of Evolving Impacts and Adaptive Strategies

4 Department of Environmental Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Pakistan stands as one of the most vulnerable nations to the impacts of climate change, with its diverse geography and developing economy making it acutely susceptible to evolving climatic patterns. This review synthesizes existing literature to provide a comprehensive analysis of the multi-faceted impacts on the country's key sectors and evaluates the efficacy of current strategic responses.

Methods: This article is a systematic review of six key academic and institutional sources, including reports from the IPCC, UNDP, FAO, Pakistan Meteorological Department, and peer-reviewed journals. The review examines climate-related phenomena such as extreme weather events, glacial melting, and shifting monsoon patterns, and their subsequent effects on water resources, agriculture, public health, and socioeconomic stability.

Results: The findings indicate a significant and accelerating impact across all reviewed sectors. Climate change is a primary driver of water scarcity and agricultural instability, directly threatening food security. Furthermore, there is a clear link between extreme heat, floods, and the proliferation of climate-sensitive health issues. This review also concludes that current predictive models are insufficient for capturing the full scope of emerging climate risks, underscoring a critical gap in strategic planning.

Conclusion: The findings highlight that while initial strategic responses are in place, they do not adequately address the scale and complexity of the evolving threats. The paper calls for the urgent development of a more robust, evidence-based national climate policy and robust, granular predictive models to inform effective and targeted adaptation and mitigation strategies.

Keywords

References

πŸ“„ UNDP (2019). "Pakistan: Climate Change and Sustainable Development." United Nations Development Programme.
πŸ“„ IPCC (2021). "Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis." Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
πŸ“„ Ali, G., & Khan, M. (2018). "Impact of Climate Change on Pakistan’s Agriculture and Water Resources." Environmental Research Journal, 36(4), 42-55.
πŸ“„ Jabeen, F., & Chaudhry, H. (2020). "Health Impacts of Climate Change in Pakistan: A Review." Pakistani Journal of Health Sciences, 10(2), 90-104.
πŸ“„ Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). (2020). "Climate Change and Weather Patterns in Pakistan." Government of Pakistan.
πŸ“„ FAO (2018). "The Impact of Climate Change on Food Security in Pakistan." Food and Agriculture Organization.
πŸ“„ The Psychology of Visual Perception in Data Dashboards: Designing for Impact. (2025). International Journal of Data Science and Machine Learning, 5(02), 79-86. https://doi.org/10.55640/ijdsml-05-02-07

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