Climate Change Support in Pakistan Surges — Citizens Now Prioritise Green Action

According to the latest World Bank Group (WBG) survey – Pakistan Country Opinion Survey 2025 – climate change support in Pakistan has surged from just 5 percent in fiscal year 2021 to 34 percent in FY2025. (Dawn)

In the same period, “water and sanitation” — long‑standing concerns for Pakistan’s public — also saw a sharp rise in prioritisation: from 9 percent to 35 percent. (Daily Times)

These trends underscore a pronounced shift in public sentiment: climate resilience and water security are now seen as top‑tier national priorities, rivaling and even overtaking traditional development areas.

Why such a dramatic shift?

Several factors help explain this surge in support:

• Growing climate impacts. With repeated extreme weather events, floods, and unpredictable monsoons, Pakistanis are increasingly experiencing the real-world consequences of climate change. Reports — including from the WBG itself — warn of mounting water stress and climate risks. (Dawn)
• Awareness and perception change. As environmental crises deepen, public awareness is rising — and so is demand for concrete action. The jump from 5 percent to 34 percent reflects more than changing opinion; it signals a shift in priorities.
• Institutional influence and communication. The WBG’s emphasis on climate financing, disaster risk management, and sustainability may have helped spotlight climate issues — framing them as national rather than peripheral concerns.

Diverging views on development priorities

While climate change and water gained traction, the WBG survey revealed interesting divergences in how stakeholders view other sectors. (Dawn)

• Sectors such as governance, education, and water & sanitation witnessed a decline in perceived WBG support since 2021. (Dawn)
• On the other hand, areas like pandemic preparedness, gender equity, and disaster risk management received high effectiveness ratings from respondents. (Dawn)

This suggests that while climate and water are rising as public priorities, stakeholder confidence in WBG’s delivery across some traditional development sectors appears to be waning.

Feedback from stakeholders: demands for deeper local engagement In the open responses included in the survey:

• Many stakeholders urged WBG to “move beyond federal‑level interactions” and engage more meaningfully with provincial authorities, grassroots organisations, and community leaders — to better align projects with local needs. (Dawn)
• A government‑institution respondent pointed out that “capacity building of local stakeholders and impact assessment of projects should be necessary in the project design.” (Dawn)
• A parliamentarian emphasised that civil society, local bodies, and parliament should all be included in decision‑making and implementation — urging a “people‑to‑people contact” approach rather than top‑down project delivery. (Dawn)

These calls reflect growing demand not just for investment, but for inclusive, participatory climate governance — where communities feel ownership and voice.

What this means for Pakistan’s climate future

The surge in climate change support in Pakistan carries several far‑reaching implications for policy, planning, and climate governance:

• Opportunity for scaled-up climate financing. With rising public demand, the government (with WBG support) could tap into climate‑finance mechanisms, green bonds, and international climate funds to accelerate climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.
• Need for integrated water‑climate policy. Given that water and sanitation priorities rose alongside climate, policy must treat water security and climate resilience as intertwined issues. Especially as other sources (like the Asian Development Bank) warn of worsening water scarcity across the country. (Business Recorder)
• Decentralisation and local engagement. Public demand strongly favours bottom‑up governance: provincial and community‑level planning, local stakeholder capacity building, and inclusive project design. Ignoring this could undermine effectiveness and sustainability.
• Shift in development narrative. With climate and water rising as priorities, traditional development sectors like education or governance may need to be recast — integrating climate resilience, sustainability, and adaptive capacity into their frameworks.

Conclusion: From awareness to action

The dramatic rise in climate change support in Pakistan — from 5 percent to 34 percent over four years — marks a turning point. What was once a niche policy concern has now become a mainstream demand, reflected across provinces, communities, and stakeholder groups.

For policymakers, development partners, and institutions like the WBG, this presents a golden opportunity: a mandate from citizens to invest in climate resilience, water security, and sustainable development. But realising this potential demands more than funding — it requires inclusive governance, community engagement, and integrated policy frameworks.

If shaped wisely, this wave of public support can transform into lasting climate action, steering Pakistan toward a safer, greener, and more sustainable future.

References & Further Reading

• WBG — Pakistan Country Opinion Survey 2025 (summary & findings) (World Bank)
• ADB — Asian Water Development Outlook 2025: Pakistan Water Security Update (Business Recorder)
• Analysis: Why Pakistan needs $348 billion by 2030 to address climate change challenges (Dawn)

For more on Pakistan’s climate financing needs, see our article on climate‑finance strategies on our website: www.vow101.com