Pakistan is now fighting to prevent further loss of life as it endures one of its worst climate disasters. The country is asking for international help as parts of the country resemble “small oceans”. 33 million people are affected by the flood and over 1,100 people have lost their lives. A third of Pakistan is now under water. The monsoon rain this year is extreme, says Maria Sand, senior researcher in Cicero. – Increased rainfall is something we expect with global warming. The monsoon rains bring with them much more water than normal. There is generally much more water available in the atmosphere and in the clouds due to warming from the ocean. – We have more heating from the sea and more evaporation, so when the monsoon winds come in over South Asia, they bring more water with them, says Maria Sand, senior researcher at the Center for Climate Research, Cicero. Photo: Kristian Elster / news The clouds have more water The monsoons will become stronger in the future with increased CO₂ in the atmosphere. At the same time, we will see more and more intense heat waves and extreme weather. Researchers have seen that the monsoon rain is more unstable and it is uncertain how it will change in the future. – That it is changing is quite clear, says Sand. For every degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold 7 percent more water, according to Sand. Due to more warming of the ocean and more evaporation, the monsoon winds coming into South Asia now can carry more water with them. – When such large quantities arrive at once, you cannot handle it, says Sand. – In addition, it was extremely dry in Pakistan in April, and then the ground is unable to absorb the water, she says. This photo from June this year shows a temporary bridge being built after a river burst swept away the main bridge in the village of Hassanabad in Pakistan. The eruption was caused by masses of water from a melting glacier. Photo: ABDUL MAJEED / AFP Extra water from melted glaciers In Pakistan there are more than 7,000 glaciers, more than anywhere else in the world outside the poles. Rising global temperatures linked to climate change are causing the glaciers to melt rapidly, creating thousands of glacial rivers in the country. – The floods we see are due to us getting more rain than usual, but also because we have melting glaciers, says Sand. 33 of the wide-dammed lakes are in danger of bursting completely, leading to major floods in the Hindu-Kush and Karakorum mountains. – There have been more glaciers than usual this year. It goes beyond the cities that lie down in the valleys, both infrastructure and large amounts of water in the rivers. – If the glacial lakes become unstable enough, they can erupt. The heat waves can help to increase this danger, says Sand. Rising global temperatures are causing glaciers to melt faster, creating thousands of glacial lakes and rivers. Photo: ABDUL MAJEED / AFP Vulnerable The flood has destroyed more than 3,000 kilometers of road, 130 bridges, and 495,000 homes, according to Pakistani authorities. Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, explains Sand. – They are completely dependent on agriculture and the monsoon rains for crops. There are many people who live there. Nor does the country account for such a large proportion of emissions in the world, she says. The country has also struggled with heat waves with unlivable temperatures, says Sand. – They have temperatures of up to 50 degrees, which is halfway to boiling. They have prolonged periods of 45 degrees. Especially in the big cities, it becomes completely unlivable, she says. “Climate disaster” Climate Minister Sherry Rehman says the rain has created a climate disaster, with floodwaters destroying homes, farmland and displacing people. – There is only one big ocean, there is no dry land so that we can pump the water away, says Rehman. – This is far from a normal monsoon, we are now on the threshold of climate dystopia, says Rehman.
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