The Pakistan floods, COP27, and prospects for recovery and climate justice

The death and destruction from the catastrophic flooding in Pakistan over the summer has reignited the global debate on climate justice. There was a clear climate change signal in the extreme weather event: An unprecedented monsoon preceded by a drought, with the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in history, and overall five times the 30-year average. The resulting devastation in a country of 220 million—1,717 deaths, 33 million affected, widespread damage to infrastructure, crops, and livestock—was compounded by existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities.