CLIMATE CHANGE GOVERNANCE IN PAKISTAN: POLICY FRAMEWORKS, INSTITUTIONAL ROLES AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

Abstract

Pakistan is one of the most climate vulnerable nations in the world, which is experiencing escalating risks of floods, droughts, and higher temperatures. The disastrous floods of 2022 and 2025 demonstrated the extent of this vulnerability and displaced millions of people, resulting in massive economic losses. The country, in turn, has devised several policy frameworks to respond to climate change but gaps in implementation, coordination, and resource allocation persist. This research used a qualitative and descriptive design which relied on secondary data gathered through national policy documentation, government reports, and international climate agreements. Data analysis was conducted to assess the effectiveness of policy, institutional arrangements and sectoral challenges in major sectors such as agriculture, water, energy, health and infrastructure. Analysis indicates that some of the significant frameworks introduced by Pakistan include the National Climate Change Adaptation Policy 2021 and the Nationally Determined Contribution 2021. There is an improvement in the renewable energy projects, afforestation, and community-based adaptation. The climate financing is severely inadequate, standing at less than 0.5 percent of GDP as opposed to the recommended 2-3 percent. The outcome of institutional fragmentation of various agencies has been poor coordination and sluggish implementation. The provincial governments have limited technical capacity, a poor monitoring system that only monitors a small percentage of the projects. The research concludes that despite the improvement in the policy development of Pakistan, the implementation of the policies remains weak, owing to the institutional inefficiencies, financial constraints, and capacity gap. It is necessary to strengthen the institutional coordination, climate investment, monitoring, community participation, and access to international finance and technology. The private sector should also be actively involved; regional co-operation should be strengthened and capacity building in all provinces should also be enhanced to improve climate governance.