Pakistan, ranked among the top ten countries most vulnerable to climate change, faces intensifying environmental challenges. Despite this, climate change remains an underreported issue in the country’s media, often overshadowed by political news and sensationalism. Unlike global media, which actively spotlights climate awareness, Pakistani outlets have yet to prioritise this pressing matter, leaving the public uninformed about the escalating crisis.
A study conducted by Media Matters for Democracy revealed that flood-related news did not make it to the top five headlines in 57.7% of bulletins, although it was featured in 85.9% of bulletins. When included, floods were reported as the first headline in only 18% of bulletins. The most common form of reporting was live coverage from flood sites, accounting for 39.3% of instances. Karachi was the most frequently mentioned city, appearing in 52.5% of bulletins, followed by Kohlu (22%), Quetta (20%), Hyderabad (17.7%), and Thatta (17%). Notably, Karachi experienced flooding twice during this monsoon season, once in July and again in August.
During this period, the unprecedented 2022 floods affected 33 million people across 84 districts, causing damages estimated at $15 billion. Despite the massive scale of destruction, limited international donor support and Pakistan’s economic instability hindered adequate government response, leaving communities vulnerable to future disasters. According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 1,700 people lost their lives, and 2 million homes were destroyed during these floods.
Beyond flooding, other climate-related issues remain largely ignored. WWF-Pakistan reports that seawater intrusion has advanced over one kilometer inland in three decades, contaminating freshwater supplies and displacing over 1.5 million fisherfolk and coastal communities. This silent crisis is yet to receive the media attention it urgently needs.
According to Said Nazir, editor-in-chief of TNN, climate journalism in Pakistan is still evolving. He highlights that only 1% of media coverage focuses on climate issues, with reporting typically spiking during disasters but remaining shallow due to limited resources and misconceptions framing climate change as a purely scientific problem. Nazir calls for the establishment of specialised climate desks, journalist training programs, and efforts to present climate change as a political and social issue. “These steps are essential to raise public awareness and hold policymakers accountable,” he says.
Establishing climate desks, equipping journalists with training, and reframing narratives to highlight climate change as a social and political issue are necessary steps
Senior journalist and media trainer Sabookh Sayed agrees that political stories dominate the news landscape, relegating crucial issues like climate change to the sidelines. “Even during the 2022 floods, most outlets failed to connect the devastation to climate change,” he notes. Sayed emphasises the need for reframing narratives to highlight the connections between local events and global climate trends, which is critical for public engagement and policymaker accountability.
Sayed also points to the lack of climate change as a distinct beat in Pakistani newsrooms. He observes that journalists covering climate issues often juggle multiple assignments, lacking the time and resources for in-depth reporting. As a result, coverage is typically limited to dramatic disasters, neglecting systemic causes and long-term impacts.
Irfan Khan, a senior environmental journalist, highlights another challenge: the complexity of climate change itself. “It’s a long-term issue with impacts that are local, global, and cross-sectoral. Journalists often struggle to present these effects in an accessible way because the topic is highly technical and demands credible research and accurate data,” he explains.
Irfan Khan notes that connecting natural disasters such as floods, storms, and droughts to broader climate change trends is particularly difficult. “While natural disasters have immediate and visible impacts, climate change effects are gradual and less obvious,” he says, making it harder for journalists to link the two convincingly.
To address these challenges, Irfan Khan suggests basic climate education for journalists, along with collaborations with scientists and researchers to provide access to the latest data and research. This, he believes, will enable journalists to improve their reporting and effectively communicate the complexities of climate change to the public.
Pakistan’s media must urgently shift its priorities to address climate change comprehensively. Establishing climate desks, equipping journalists with training, and reframing narratives to highlight climate change as a social and political issue are necessary steps. Without these changes, Pakistan risks remaining unprepared for the escalating environmental challenges it faces.