The heavy rains that have caused floods and killed hundreds of people in Pakistan in recent weeks have been exacerbated by climate change stacked on humans, according to a new study.
A study by World Weather Attributes, an international group of scientists studying the role of global warming in extreme weather, found that rainfall in South Asian countries from June 24 to July 23 was 10% to 15% heavy due to climate change, leading to the collapse of many buildings in Pakistan and rural areas.
The Pakistani government has reported at least 300 deaths and 1,600 damaged homes due to floods, heavy rain and other weather since June 26th.
Saqib Hassan, a 50-year-old businessman from northern Pakistan, said the July 22 flooding destroyed 18 people in his home and relatives along with the dairy farm. The animals on his farm were washed away, causing huge losses (probably Rs 100 million ($360,000)) for him and his family.
The last minute announcement from a nearby mosque was the only warning that they had evacuated a house in a small town in Salwarabad and arrived at the highlands.
“We are homeless now. Our homes are being destroyed. The government is 50,000 rupees ($177) and the equivalent of seven tents that we’ve been living in for the past two weeks,” Hassan told The Associated Press over the phone.
The high temperatures and intense precipitation exacerbated by global warming are accelerating the pace of recent extreme weather events faster than climate experts could expect, said Jacob Steiner, an Islamabad-based climate scientist who was not part of the WWA study.
“In recent weeks, we have been rushing to see the number of events not only in Pakistan but in South Asia that has baffled us,” he said.
“Many events that we predicted to have occurred in 2050 occurred in 2025, but temperatures this summer are well above average,” said Steiner, a Glaz University geoscientist studying water resources and associated risks in the Mountain Region.
The heavy monsoon rains have resulted in a series of disasters that have hit South Asia, particularly the Himalayas, spanning five countries in the past few months.
The overflow of glacial lakes led to floods in July that washed away important bridges connecting Nepal and China, along with several hydroelectric dams. Earlier this week, a village in northern India was hit by floods and landslides, killing at least four people and hundreds have gone missing.
The authors of the WWA study, published early on Thursday, said rainfall analyzed in Pakistan indicates that climate change is becoming more dangerous. Climate scientists have discovered that a warm atmosphere retains more moisture, and the rain can get heavier.
“We highlight why some degree of warming leads to heavier monsoon rainfall and the rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is so urgent,” said Mariam Zachariah, a researcher at the Center for Environmental Policy.
Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of the gas that acquires planets in the atmosphere, but research shows that there is a massive amount of damage caused by extreme weather. Pakistan witnessed the most devastating monsoon season in 2022, with floods killing more than 1,700 people and causing an estimated $40 billion in damage.
According to the United Nations, global funds established to deal with losses and damages for funds set up to adapt to climate change and climate change are well below the amount needed to help countries like Pakistan deal with climate impacts. The United Nations warns that its losses and damage funds hold only a small portion of what humans need to deal with the annual economic damage associated with climate change that humans experience.
Similarly, a UN report states that developed countries, such as the US and European countries, are responsible for the largest mass of gas carrying planets in the atmosphere, are far fewer than what is needed to fund adaptation.
These funds will help improve housing and infrastructure in areas that are vulnerable to floods.
A WWA report shows that many of Pakistan’s rapidly growing urban population live in makeshift homes in areas that are often prone to flooding. The collapse of the house was the leading cause of the 300 deaths cited in the report, and was responsible for more than half of them.
“Half of Pakistan’s urban population lives in vulnerable settlements where floods destroy homes and kill lives,” said Maja Waalberg of the Red Crescent Climate Centre of the Red Cross. “While building flood-sensitive homes and building flood zones will help reduce the impact of heavy monsoon rain.”
