ANTALYA: Around 67 per cent of Pakistanis believe it is already too late to contain climate change, significantly higher than the global average of 42 per cent, highlighting growing public pessimism about the world’s ability to address the climate crisis.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The findings of the WIN Worldviews Survey 2026 come as Pakistan urges the international community to increase climate financing and support vulnerable countries in strengthening their resilience against climate-related disasters.
Addressing the COP31 summit in Antalya, Türkiye, on Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for grant-based climate finance and a substantial increase in international funding for resilience and adaptation, stressing that vulnerable countries cannot bear the consequences of climate disasters alone.
“National effort cannot replace a fair and just global response when climate disaster strikes. Vulnerable countries need timely help and finance that does not deepen their debt,” the prime minister said, calling for grant-based financing, including public-private partnerships, and enhanced resilience and adaptation funds.
However, economist and policy researcher Afia Malik, formerly associated with the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), warned that growing dependence on external assistance and declining public confidence in collective climate action could leave vulnerable countries increasingly exposed to environmental risks.
According to the survey, 27 per cent of Pakistanis totally agreed and 40 per cent somewhat agreed that it was already too late to curtail climate change, while 31 per cent disagreed.
The findings also revealed a gender gap, with 68 per cent of women expressing pessimism compared with 64 per cent of men, indicating slightly greater climate fatalism among women.
Malik observed that public pessimism was not necessarily rooted in doubts about climate science but rather in weakening confidence in the ability of governments and societies to take meaningful collective action.
She noted that donor governments were increasingly preoccupied with domestic challenges, including energy security, inflation, public debt, geopolitical tensions and political pressures, making climate commitments compete with more immediate priorities.
For countries such as Pakistan, which rely heavily on international assistance for disaster recovery and climate adaptation, these developments pose significant challenges.
While climate justice remains an important argument, Malik cautioned that moral appeals alone may not secure the required financial support, particularly as donor governments face their own economic and political constraints.
She stressed that Pakistan must not delay domestic climate reforms while waiting for international funding. Improvements in land-use planning, infrastructure, water management, agricultural adaptation, local institutions and climate-related public spending should remain national priorities.
Malik also argued that Pakistan’s position at COP31 should go beyond demands for financial assistance and include stronger commitments to global climate action alongside practical domestic measures to reduce vulnerability.
She particularly highlighted the need to reduce methane emissions, given Pakistan’s position among the world’s major methane emitters, and enforce regulations governing construction and development in flood-prone areas.
The importance of directing climate finance towards vulnerable communities has also been highlighted by State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad.
“Climate finance must do more than support green investments. It must also help communities anticipate risks, build resilience, and adapt to a changing climate,” he said.
The SBP governor has also drawn attention to the vulnerability of smallholder farmers, micro and small enterprises and low-income households, which often lack insurance coverage, savings and access to formal financing to recover from climate-related losses.
For Pakistan, the challenge therefore extends beyond securing funds to rebuild after natural disasters. It also requires developing the capacity to anticipate climate risks, protect vulnerable communities and manage the impacts of climate change that can no longer be avoided.
Malik warned that the greatest danger was not simply a potential shortfall in international climate finance but the erosion of confidence in collective action, which could result in more frequent disasters, mounting economic losses and an increasingly costly dependence on emergency assistance.
Story by Shazia Tasneem Farooqi
