Pakistan is experiencing the most devastating and widespread floods in its history, with the country’s climate minister saying waters have reached across a third of the nation.
The growing tally of impacts is dire. More than 1,100 people have been killed, a million homes have been destroyed and 33 million people have been directly affected. Total damage estimates exceed US$10 billion (£8.6 billion), and further disruption to the country’s economy and critical food production is inevitable.
On August 25, the government declared a national emergency. António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said that this is a signal to the world to step up climate action, warning: “Today, it’s Pakistan. Tomorrow, it could be your country.”
