The calm before the storm

Navigating Pakistan’s ex-ante climate policy

The issue

Pakistan contributes 0.9 percent to global greenhouse emissions. Despite this, it is the eighth most climate change-affected country. In 2022 alone, floods have pushed over 8.4 million people into poverty. Women in rural areas have been the most severely affected due to their high labor force participation in agriculture and low levels of empowerment. As a result of the floods, the government further estimates that 640,000 adolescent girls are at increased risk of coercion, gender-based violence, and child marriage. Though experts have proposed numerous recommendations on how to mitigate the impact of the floods, not much is known about how to best support female climate refugees.