A report assessing the ability of major cities around the world to cope with the impacts of climate change has placed four Pakistani cities among those with the lowest capacity to deal with climate risks.
The report, released by climate risk assessment company AlphaGeo, evaluates 72 major cities worldwide and examines the extent to which they are prepared to withstand various climate-related threats.
According to the report, six South Asian cities rank among those with the lowest capacity to cope with climate risks. Ahmedabad in India ranked first with a score of 41, followed by Hyderabad, while Pakistan’s Multan ranked third with a score of 38. Dhaka ranked fourth, Lahore fifth, Faisalabad seventh and Karachi eighth.
AlphaGeo identified extreme heat and limited adaptation measures against climate hazards as major factors contributing to the high levels of climate risk faced by these cities. The company noted that South Asia has a large number of cities where adaptation and protection measures have yet to reach the level required to match the intensity of climate threats.
The assessment was not limited to flood risks. It covered a range of hazards, including inland and coastal flooding, extreme heat, drought, wildfires and tropical cyclones. The remaining risk in each city was then assessed after taking existing adaptation measures into account.
The report identified Chicago, Barcelona, Paris, London, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Melbourne among the major cities with relatively higher levels of climate resilience.
Meanwhile, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen and Shanghai in China performed better in terms of the effectiveness of measures taken to address climate risks.
AlphaGeo warned that Pakistan and Bangladesh require particular attention, as major cities in both countries face high levels of climate risk while gaps remain in their capacity to mitigate these threats and adapt to their impacts.
According to the report, the situation could further exacerbate challenges related to post-disaster recovery, infrastructure repairs and population displacement.
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