A Vital Pillar In US-Pakistan Strategic Relations – OpEd
Pakistan’s climate story is brutal and unfair. The country contributes less than 1% of global emissions, but it’s taking blow after blow. The floods in 2022 drowned a third of the country, killed over 1,700 people, and left millions without homes. Just two years later, Sindh got hit with a heatwave that sent hundreds to their graves and thousands to hospitals. This past summer was hotter than ever, and the rains came down heavier than before. For people living there, climate change isn’t some distant concern, it’s about whether your crops survive, whether your city can drain the next downpour, or whether your family has drinking water.
Urban centres aren’t spared either. Karachi, Lahore, already stretched thin, basically crumble under heavy rain. Streets turn into rivers, power goes out, and life just stops. Up north, glaciers are melting faster than anyone expected, putting millions’ water supply at risk. The long-term picture is grim: food insecurity, mass migration, even resource conflicts becoming the “new normal.”
But it’s not all collapse. There are some real resilience and progress. Pakistan has become the sixth-largest solar market in the world. In just a few years, renewable energy output has jumped nearly 50%. Walk through parts of Punjab or Sindh now and solar panels are everywhere, rooftops, farms, small businesses. It’s proofed the country isn’t just sitting around waiting for help.
This is where the US has an opening. Washington has pitched in before, but the support hasn’t matched the scale of Pakistan’s crisis. If the US wants a durable relationship in South Asia, climate must be front and centre. Farmers need drought-resistant seeds, smarter irrigation, better forecasting. The energy grid is outdated and can’t handle renewables at scale. These are areas where US tech and investment could make a huge difference.
And there’s a geopolitical angle too. China’s invested billions through the Belt and Road, but a lot of that money’s gone into coal and big infrastructure that doesn’t exactly scream sustainability. If the US shows up with a different offer, helping Pakistan adapt, go green, and build resilience, it gives Islamabad a real alternative and strengthens America’s own position in the region.
The catch? Money. Pakistan doesn’t need more debt. It needs grants, long-term partnerships, and investment framed as shared survival, not charity. Of course, governance issues in Pakistan and competing US priorities complicate things. But climate disasters won’t wait for either country to get its act fully together.
The overlap of interests is rare and real: Pakistan needs help to survive, the US needs reliable partners and a counterweight to China, and both sides want to push global climate action. For once, their goals line up neatly.
For decades, US-Pakistan ties have been fragile, mostly transactional, aid for security cooperation, counterterrorism for access. Shifting toward climate cooperation could redefine the relationship into something more durable: building resilience together, not just patching over crises.
Pakistan isn’t asking for pity. It’s asking for a fair shot at surviving a changing climate. For the US, stepping up isn’t just about goodwill, it’s a strategic bet. What happens in Pakistan ripples far beyond its borders. Floods affect global food markets, melting glaciers affect rivers in India, heatwaves drive migration into already fragile cities. Climate change here is everybody’s problem and ignoring it just guarantees bigger crises later.
Like what you read?
Please consider supporting Eurasia Review. Thank you for your consideration!
