Climate crisis no longer hypothesis but ‘terrifying reality’: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, Jul 22 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said the climate change was no longer a looming threat but a “terrifying reality” that had already begun to severely impact vulnerable nations like Pakistan.
Speaking at an event titled “From Planning to PRACTICE: Advancing Climate Resilience in Pakistan,” he highlighted the profound impact global warming was already having on the country’s environment, economy and future.
“Climate change has become a serious threat to the future of humanity,” he said, adding, “It is no longer a distant hypothesis. We are living in its consequences.”
Ahsan Iqbal underscored the disproportionate burden shouldered by developing nations in the Global South, urging developed countries to urgently deliver on their climate finance commitments.
“The world has always demanded ‘Do More’ from the Global South. Today, we demand: ‘Do More’ from the global powers for environmental justice,” he added.
Citing the 2022 floods that submerged a third of Pakistan, displaced millions and caused billions in damages, he described them as a harrowing testament to the dangers of unchecked climate change.
“These floods were not a fluke. They were a symptom of a planet in crisis,” he said, adding that climate change was fueling erratic weather patterns, widespread flooding and escalating food insecurity across the region.
Pakistan, home to more than 7,000 glaciers, he said, was witnessing the fastest rate of glacier melt in over 60 years.
This rapid melting, he warned, was a direct threat to the Indus River system, which supported 90 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural output, noting that the very foundation of its food security was under threat.
The minister reiterated Pakistan’s support for the principle of climate justice, emphasizing that the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge made by developed nations for the affected countries was not charity, but a necessary step toward global equity. “This is not a favor. It is a requirement of environmental justice,” he asserted.
Ahsan Iqbal said the government has placed climate action at the core of its long-term strategy, incorporating it into the national 5Es policy.