Climate change impacts: exploring the rising climate-security nexus in Pakistan

Abstract

This research aims to bring to the fore the climate security nexus in Pakistan. According to this study, the anthropogenic climate change in Pakistan has been a probable cause of internal migrations that have played an important role in exacerbating the existing conflicts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, and Balochistan provinces. The climate security nexus in Pakistan is established through a deductive approach using the lens of environmental security and political ecology. The study plays a crucial role in shaping Pakistani policy-making circles, providing insights into climate change mitigation, conflict-sensitive adaptation, and societal resilience. The study adopts an exploratory approach using primary and secondary data sources with semi-structured interviews and multidisciplinary assessment to analyse the issue comprehensively and provide accurate findings. The study concludes that the anthropogenic climate change-induced internal migration exacerbating armed conflict in the Pakistani regions of KP and Balochistan has the potential to cause significant economic losses in the future. It argues that the migration triggered by resource scarcity due to climate change can lead to armed conflict and provide fertile grounds for militant groups to gain strength.