Floods across Pakistan: a wake-up call to the world

Pakistan, which contributes only 1% of global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions (Abas et al. 2017), has been devastated by floods since mid-June. According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 1350 people were killed, over 50 M displaced, 900 K livestock deaths, 1 M houses washed away, and 90% of cropland damaged, which is an almost $10B loss to the national economy. In Pakistan, the monsoon season typically lasts from July to September. The monsoon and pre-monsoon rains this year in Pakistan exceeded 30-year records. According to NDMA data, the 30-year average rainfall was 131 mm, but the 2022 season's rainfall was 375.4 mm, which is 187% more than that average (http://cms.ndma.gov.pk/). Such a rapid change in rainfall is most likely primarily due to global warming.