Five Pakistani cities among world’s least climate-resilient

Five major Pakistani cities have been ranked among the world’s least resilient cities to climate risks, according to a new global assessment.

Hyderabad, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi were included in the list of the 10 least climate-resilient major cities worldwide.

The assessment was prepared by geospatial analytics company AlphaGeo. It examined 72 major cities and looked beyond their exposure to climate hazards.

The report also assessed how well cities are able to cope with and adapt to those risks. It used a resilience-adjusted risk score, with a higher score indicating lower resilience.

Hyderabad ranked second on the list of least-resilient cities. Multan was placed third, while Lahore ranked fifth. Faisalabad came seventh and Karachi eighth.

India’s Ahmedabad topped the ranking as the least-resilient city in the assessment.

The report said the six cities facing the highest overall climate risk were all located in South Asia. These included Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Multan, Dhaka, Kolkata and Lahore.

Heat exposure was identified as a major factor behind the high risk levels in these cities. The report noted that adaptation efforts in several of them remain limited compared with the scale of their physical exposure.

Dhaka recorded the highest physical climate exposure among the 72 cities assessed. Its physical risk score stood at 60.

However, Dhaka also recorded a significant adaptation improvement. Its adaptation delta was 24 points, leaving it with a resilience-adjusted risk score of 36.

The report warned that cities with high climate risk and limited adaptation capacity could face serious economic consequences.

These risks could affect property values, infrastructure, business operations and the lifespan of major assets.

The assessment also highlighted wider challenges for governments. High-risk cities may face increasing costs from disaster response, infrastructure repairs and the displacement of populations.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were identified as countries requiring particular attention. The report said both face a combination of high urban climate risk and limited capacity to improve resilience quickly enough.