Scorching reality: South Asia's heatwave exposes gaps in climate action

Sitting in Islamabad, Pakistan, this month's heat wave has been a gruelling reality to deal with. Temperatures crossing the 40C mark has made life tedious and cumbersome for the city's million residents.

The insufferable conditions also have many of us asking, is Pakistan's government - and other regional governments - serious about mitigating the effects of climate change?

An answer is needed as scorching, persistent and troubling heat waves affect cities across the region, from Dhaka in Bangladesh to Phalodi in India.

Heatwaves in South Asia are a product of increased ozone exposure due to carbon dioxide emissions from developed and newly industrialised countries, including India.

The result has been the melting of glaciers in Nepal, persistent flooding in crisis-afflicted Afghanistan, droughts in Pakistan's most impoverished province of Balochistan and heatwaves in New Delhi. There are also fears that low-lying parts of the Maldives will become submerged due to rising seawater levels.

These climate change-related events disproportionately affect the poor, downtrodden and vulnerable segments of South Asian society, made worse due to the absence of inclusive adaptive strategies from respective governments.

According to World Bank economist Jonah Rexer, close to 60 million people per year have been affected by climate crisis-induced disasters in Southeast Asia since 2013, which is more than any other region in the world.

Countries are working to take adaptive measures. But many of these have been individualistic, ranging from cooling technologies installed in factories to farmers planting flood resistance varieties to boost yields. Such measures have only offset 46 percent of the damage caused by climate crisis.

A vacuum related to climate action in South Asia clearly exists, though many countries have climate change policies in place.

At least on paper.

Policy promises

Pakistan for example has a 2021 National Climate Change Policy. Its recommendations include the planned integration of indigenous knowledge with scientific research for an ecologically sustainable green revolution.

In India, New Delhi has successfully incorporated its thriving private sector with solar ambitions since 2004 with investments totaling an astonishing $130 billion. And in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina's government has adopted the Delta Plan 2100, seeking to achieve a long-term, safe, climate-resilient and prosperous delta region while ensuring long-term water and food security.

Meanwhile, cash-strapped Sri Lanka also has a Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) with Asia Development Bank, which seeks to support a collaborative, country-driven program through transformative mainstreaming of climate action.

Sri Lanka's CPS is to ward off the threat of rising water levels in the Indian Ocean, which also applies to the Maldives. This country has a Climate Change Policy Framework and five policy goals ranging from integrating sustainable financing in climate change adaptation opportunities to strengthening a low-emission development future.

Countries facing melting glaciers such as Nepal and Bhutan also have a Climate Change Policy and a National Adaptation Plan that costs $2.9 million. These policies and plans demonstrate an unwavering commitment towards mitigating the effects of climate change.

Even the most impoverished country in the subcontinent, Afghanistan, witnessed its Taliban government joining climate change discussions with the United Nations, donors and NGOs in earlier this year.

Yet the presence of heat waves and climate-induced disasters clearly indicate that existing policies are not having a trickle-down effect on local populations.

What explains this?

The disconnect

Several factors explain poor governmental responses on climate action. They include political instability, lack of political will, financial crunches and empty rhetoric.

Political instability applies to Pakistan. Islamabad continues to witness turmoil with the mandate of the current government being challenged by opposition parties such as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

Resulting agitation has stymied public policy-making, including the implementation of the country's National Climate Change Policy. Frequent leadership changes in government have also compromised the continuation and implementation of policies, even though they are critical for environmental sustainability.

As for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for unity and cooperation on fighting climate crisis at COP28 in December.

But this pledge stands in contrast to his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's election campaigns, which are surprisingly apathetic towards communities vulnerable to climate shocks. This election season, the Modi-led party appears to believe fomenting divisiveness is a more effective path to victory. Environmental principles have been put on the back burner, despite India's progress in mitigating climate change being ranked highly insufficient.

The country's heavy dependency on fossil fuels, higher rates of emissions in summer months and lack of climate policy acceleration has left millions vulnerable to climate shocks. Such apathy is staggering. given that more than 80 percent of India's population reside in districts most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters.

Yet, it seems that targeting the Muslim minority for electoral gain rather than campaigning on a green platform is the BJP’s modus operandi.

Empty promises are also an issue.

In Bangladesh, the Awami League won a contentious election this year. Since reelection, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has castigated the international community for not unlocking climate finance at the Munich Security Conference 2023. Domestically, she has urged engineers to adopt environmentally sensitive policies for strategic development.

Bangladesh's leadership in climate adaptation through its 2024 National Adaptation Plan has also been acknowledged by the United Nations Development Programme for working to build a climate-resilient nation. Yet despite Hasina's rhetoric and Dhaka's progress, climate crisis-related challenges remain in Bangladesh in 2024.

Pledges have simply not translated into tangible benefits for the most vulnerable segments of Bangladesh society or those residing closer to the Delta region.

Sheikh Hasina entered the electoral race this year as tidal surges and cyclones posed an increased threat, and amid concerns that a 35 to 45 cm rise in sea levels could displace more than 35 million in coastal districts in the country. The truth is that despite substantial progress, Bangladesh under Hasina has had limited success in mitigating climate change-induced disasters.

Other countries such as Sri Lanka have compromised on climate action due to economic issues. A fiscal crisis emanating from the island's economic meltdown of 2022 leaves it with little financial capital to invest in climate crisis policies. Its post-2022 reform also remains fragile, with tight borrowing conditions and reduced disposable income.

Meanwhile, the Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan rely heavily on National Adaptation Plans and domestic policies, while cash-strapped Afghanistan is in no position to carry forward its climate change mitigation objectives.

Thus, a lack of political will in India and political instability in Pakistan help explain the continuation of heatwaves and climate change-induced disasters on the subcontinent. Empty rhetoric and financial meltdowns in certain countries also play their parts.

Notably, South Asia also needs international help. The UNEP Adaptation Gap Report of 2023 estimates that the region would need $200 billion per year in financing until 2030 to meet its climate objectives.

Thus, when it comes to mitigating the effects of climate change, this region has a long way to go.