Pakistan’s new climate minister on water, justice and a warming world
- 20-May-2025
In sweltering Karachi, as tensions with India simmer over the Indus Waters Treaty, Musadik Malik sips an Americano. Recently appointed as Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change and environmental coordination, Malik left his previous post overseeing the Ministry for Water Resources and Petroleum to take on what he describes as an urgent and daunting role. […]
Diary: Three days of planetary health discussions in Malaysia
- 04-Apr-2025
On a pleasant, balmy morning in late February, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Over 40 kilometres and a scenic, hour-long taxi ride later, I reached Sunway City, a township in the neighbouring city of Subang Jaya. This was the home of Sunway University and the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, which hosted the annual […]
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto interview: ‘Our water has been taken hostage’
- 19-Feb-2025
On a crisp Karachi morning I meet Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr; he is calm, approachable, and dressed in an equally crisp white shalwar kameez (a traditional South and Central Asian outfit). In his office, at Fateh Point Archives, 71 Clifton, he is surrounded by rare photographs of the Bhutto family and an eclectic selection of books – his […]
Heat and rain punish Karachi’s homeless
- 12-Aug-2024
For Mithu, 30, and the twenty members of his extended family, home is beneath the KPT Interchange Flyover in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city of 20 million. They migrated from Tando Allahyar, 200 kilometres northeast, in search of better opportunities. Unlike people living in high-rise apartments and office developments nearby, they have no real shelter from […]
Pakistan launches major study on impact of heat on pregnant women and babies
- 16-Mar-2024
In January 2024, researchers at Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan’s Sindh province, launched an ambitious four-year project to measure the impact of extreme heat on maternal and child health. Studies on the impact of the climate crisis, rising heat and the impact on pregnant women have been undertaken in other countries, but until now […]
The young voices speaking up for Pakistan at COP28
- 22-Dec-2023
“We want justice… climate justice!”. The chants get louder. Slogans. Placards. Badges. Scarves. And a lot of young people. These scenes contributed greatly to the vibe of COP28 in Dubai. Following the 2022 floods in Pakistan, which plunged a third of the country underwater and displaced eight million people, climate change has become an unavoidable […]
Lasting toll of multiple climate disasters on Pakistan’s women
- 08-Mar-2023
Panahi welcomes visitors warmly into the dwelling she now calls home: a bare structure with a mud floor and thatched roof, through which sunlight is streaming in. There are no chairs or charpoys (traditional woven beds). A jerrycan for carrying water, a couple of bedsheets, a few utensils and a prayer mat are all the […]
Interview: Climate change only one factor in Pakistan flood devastation
- 02-Sep-2022
The worst floods in living memory in Pakistan have already resulted in more than 1,100 deaths, including more than 350 children. The floods have affected up to 33 million people, and the Flood Response Plan now has the daunting task of providing relief to 5.2 million people. Referred to as a “monster monsoon” by Pakistan’s […]
Interview: ‘The narrative around hydro in Pakistan remains superficial’
- 04-Jul-2022
More than 80% of the population in Pakistan faces ‘severe water scarcity’. Without change, this is projected to increase. With the water crisis looming over the country, Umer Karim, a development sector professional, sat down with The Third Pole. Karim has been working in the field of irrigation and water management for more than 20 […]