Study confirms human-caused climate change escalated Pakistan's floods

A newly released study has confirmed that the heavy rainfall causing deadly floods in Pakistan in recent weeks was made worse by human-driven climate change. Conducted by World Weather Attribution (WWA), a network of international scientists analysing climate change’s role in extreme events, the study concluded that rainfall between June 24 and July 23 in Pakistan was intensified by 10% to 15% due to climate change.

The increased precipitation led to widespread destruction, including the collapse of buildings in both urban and rural regions, as reported by TRT Global.

Since June 26, Pakistan’s government has reported at least 300 deaths and damage to over 1,600 homes due to flooding, heavy rains, and other extreme weather events.

Climate experts say extreme heat and intense rainfall—both linked to global warming—are arriving faster than previously forecasted. Jakob Steiner, a climate scientist based in Islamabad who was not involved in the WWA study, emphasised the accelerated pace of change.

“In the last few weeks, we have been scrambling to look at the number of events, not just in Pakistan, but in the South Asian region that have baffled us,” he said.

“Many events we projected to happen in 2050 have happened in 2025, as temperatures this summer, yet again, have been far above the average,” said Steiner, a geoscientist at the University of Graz in Austria who specialises in water systems and climate risks in mountain environments.

South Asia, particularly the Himalayan region that stretches across five nations, has experienced a string of weather disasters in recent months, largely fueled by heavier monsoon rains.

In July, flooding caused by overflowing glacial lakes swept away a crucial bridge between Nepal and China, along with several hydropower facilities. More recently, floods and landslides struck a village in northern India, leaving at least four people dead and hundreds more missing.

The WWA study, released on August 7, found that the recent flooding in Pakistan exemplifies how climate change is amplifying the threat of such disasters. Scientists note that warmer air holds more moisture, resulting in heavier rainfall.

“Every tenth of a degree of warming will lead to heavier monsoon rainfall, highlighting why a rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is so urgent,” said Mariam Zachariah, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London.

By Nazrin Sadigova