Opinion: Pakistan floods show global security hinges on water security

It is largely through water – too much, too little, too unpredictable – that people will directly experience climate change. Science-based action must be the basis on which we build and enforce resilience in our food, land and water systems.

By Nadeem Javaid, Claudia Sadoff // 06 April 2023

As delegates gathered in New York last month for the first UN Water Conference in 46 years, the statistics from the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan in 2022 should serve as a stark reminder of the impact of climate change on water — and human — security.

Eight million people were displaced. Two thousand lives were lost, in addition to 1 million livestock. $30 billion was wiped from the economy, and decades of hard-earned socioeconomic gains were swept away.

Even the most alarming statistics can’t convey the extent of the lasting harm done to so many lives and communities. The floods hit the lowest-income and most vulnerable, washing away entire villages and the infrastructure that served them. The damage will cost at least $16.3 billion to fix. Recovery and reconstruction costs are projected at 1.6 times the entire budgeted national development expenditure for 2023.

More reading:

► Opinion: How the UN Water Conference can trigger fair water footprints

► Historic UN water meeting opens, with climate as 'DNA' of discussions

► Opinion: Water insights for climate resilience from the global south

The views in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect Devex's editorial views.

About the authors

Nadeem Javaid
Dr. Nadeem Javaid is the chief economist for the Government of Pakistan.
Claudia Sadoff @ClaudiaSadoff
Dr. Claudia Sadoff is the executive managing director of CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural innovation network.