Loss and Damage: A Necessary and Moral Response

by

The term "Loss and Damage" might best be summarized as "if you cause the losses, you need to pay for the damages." When it comes to climate change, the losses and resulting damages are adding up. There are now multiple billion dollar natural disasters occurring every year—natural disasters such as hurricanes, droughts, and glacial melting, made much worse, and more costly, because of climate change. Read and view the video presentations included on this page as we focus on a case study of what loss and damage actually looks like on the ground: the devastating 2022 spring and summer floods that destroyed hundreds of villages and cost over 1,500 lives in Pakistan.

Leading the conversation from Islamabad, Pakistan, was Haris Bin Saqib, who as part of an aid effort with Zariya.pk had been traveling in Sindh to survey damage and offer tents, food, and supplies to those affected. Saqib offers his own testimony and photos of what he has seen in the Part Two presentation. He hopes to help those outside of Pakistan better understand the scale of the damage, and be moved to assist. Rev. Richenda Fairhurst, who works at the intersection of faith and climate justice, offers a Part One overview and explainer as to why Pakistan is more vulnerable to climate change than other areas, and how Pakistan is a case study for the moral call for addressing the climate crisis.

In Part One of the discussion centering Loss and Damage, Pakistan, and the Climate Crisis, Rev. Richenda Fairhurst offers an explainer as to why Pakistan is so hard hit, and why it is a moral imperative to address the crisis.

To tell the story of what happened in Pakistan in 2022 is to tell the story of the loss and damage caused by climate change. We see in what happened with high heat in April and devastating flooding in August why climate change is a climate crisis. Many things come together in the story of Pakistan, including Pakistan’s unique geologic features, its many glaciers, archeological history, economy and—importantly—the truth that Pakistan is bearing the damage of the climate crisis despite the fact that Pakistan has had almost nothing to do with causing the problem.

The climate crisis has not had a uniform impact across the globe. In the countries most involved in extracting, burning, and profiting from fossil fuels, the impacts are still largely manageable. For example, most citizens of wealthier countries can retreat into air conditioned buildings during a heat wave. But this April in Pakistan, temperatures rose to and stayed at 100° for weeks. There were three 122° days. And the high heat record was 123.8°f. This in a country where many live and work outdoors and in places where air conditioning is often impractical, or unavailable.

This is what is means to be hit ‘first and worst’ with the impacts of climate change. It’s impacts reach world class cities and farming communities alike.

“Pakistan is not responsible for this crisis, this was a product of climate change, this was caused by those that are populating the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. The G20, the biggest economies in the world, represent 80% of the emissions, Pakistan less than 1%.”

—UN Secretary-General António Guterres

In this Part Two presentation, Haris Bin Saqib shares photos of the 2022 flood and stories of how the flood has impacted the people of Sindh.

Why is Pakistan so vulnerable to the affects of the climate crisis?

For a lot of reasons. I’m going to break down a few:

GLACIAL MELT. Within the borders of Pakistan are three impressive mountain ranges, the Hindu Kush Range, the Karakorum Range, and part of the Himalayas. Top peaks rise 25,000 feet through the atmosphere, and all that vertical real estate holds water in the form of well over 7000 glaciers. In our former climate, these glaciers melted a little at a time, filling the Indus River, and providing fresh water to sustain crops, humans, livestock, and ecosystems through the warm summers.

Climate Change is melting those glaciers. There is less snow in the mountains, and the ice, too, is melting. The melt water runs off but is not replenished in the winter, leaving a reduced snowpack and dryer summers. But the meltwater from melting glaciers also collects into new ‘glacial lakes.’ The beautiful lakes fill with millions of cubic meters of water, until they reach their bursting point. When they burst it is like a flash flood down into the valley, with a force that wipes away roads, homes, and bridges. These bursting glacial lakes are called GLOFs—Glacial Lake Overflow Floods—and there were a number of these in the spring and summer of 2022. One such wiped out an important bridge and impeded both travel and economic trade.

Loss and Damage: “…the loss of a house and the property on which it stands, and… such things as the loss of a territory, loss of cultures including traditional practices and sacred sites, connection to the land and sense of place…”

from LossAndDamageCollaboration.org

WORSENING STORMS. Globally, storms are growing worse, with higher winds and more moisture. For a country like Pakistan, the worsening storms mean that monsoon season can drop a lot more water than expected. Changes to the jet stream means where those storms land might be different than usual. And, a more intense storm does more damage to structures and landscapes, structures that have not been build to withstand the ‘new’ climate ‘normal.’ Precipitation totals in the above case can be extreme. Numbers for July and August storms just for the Sindh province in Pakistan were: July rainfall in Sindh 307% above average, August rainfall in Sindh 726% above average. In the town of Padidan, Sindh, they received 70 inches of rain from June-August 2022.

In addition to the quantity of water these storms can produce, the air temperatures can be warmer than in previous years. This means that instead of the precipitation falling as snow in higher elevations, the precipitation is falling as rain. Warmer rain adds to the runoff simply because it isn’t landing as snow, but it can also melt the ice and snow it rains down on, further eroding glaciers and contributing volumes of meltwater to the flooding.

HEAT. Pakistan has always experienced warm summers. Climate change, however, has contributed to rising, life-threatening temperatures. As of April 2022, Pakistan holds the global-high for that month, when temperatures reached 123.8°f. The last 8 years have been the hottest on record, with numbers trending up. The heat is a health emergency at those temperatures, even where there is robust health infrastructure. But it is an even greater challenge in a country where many work in the agricultural sector—so outside. In Pakistan, many people live in small farming communities where the energy grid does not reach and/or where there are few, if any, climate-controlled, air conditioned buildings for people to retreat to.

Up to 40% of Pakistanis work on family farms and in outdoor agriculture, where high temperatures can be life-threatening. When heatwaves intersect with the month of Ramadan, such as in 2012, 2015, and 2022, special allowances are sometimes made to ensure people stay hydrated and nourished during the fast.

DROUGHT. Despite the deluges, Pakistan is one of the three most water-scarce countries in the world. The problem is only getting more acute, as Pakistanis deal with widespread drought. National policies play a role in this, but the impact of climate change compromises a water-cycle that provided balance for thousands of years. The rising heat of climate change means plants, animals, soils, and people need more water to cope with the heat. This extra usage is depleting groundwater. It is also contributing to water contamination as sites are heavily used. Millions now must make do with contaminated water, or struggle to find enough water at all.

INSTABILITY. All these climate-worsened impacts compound together, and then compound further for human beings who try to navigate the changes that impact their homes, their communities, their way of life, and their very survival. All this for people who have contributed almost not at all to the crisis. Instability disrupts family life, and has a disproportionate impact on women and girls. We have heard the term, ‘climate migrants.’ But what is happening is perhaps more accurately referred to as ‘Distress Migration.’ Distressed Migrants are not necessarily fleeing an unsafe homeland, they are instead forced to move when their way of life is lost.

A family fleeing heat and seeking water is experiencing distress. They must grapple with the damage at the most personal level of all—home, family, community.

“Our research in Pakistan revealed…. Where an area is likely to become permanently inhospitable, because there are no buildings strong enough to withstand accelerating climate breakdown or rising temperatures, will create inordinate hardships, for example, people will be displaced…”

– Quote from the 2020 report, Costs of Climate Inaction by Climate Action Network South Asia (in collaboration with its members) and ActionAid, page 24.

HUMAN HISTORY. Loss and Damage is about recognizing losses and compensating for damages. It is only one part of the effort, the primary part needs to be stopping the losses and damages in the first place. The scale and rapidity of the destruction is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that for thousands of years humans have lived and thrived in the land now known as Pakistan. Humans have shared lives, built communities, built cities, farmed, worshiped, raised up faith and wisdom, all in the stable cycle of nature’s warmth and water cycles. Some of humanity’s precious monuments are in Pakistan, such as Dot Kiji, a pre-Indus civilization, Mohinjo Daro, a civilization on the Indus River, Uch Sharif, the City of Saints. These treasures are now eroding, damaged by flooding, or, as is happening right now, currently under floodwater.

RELIGOUS HISTORY. And the treasures are not just material, they are deeply cultural and Spiritual as well. For faith traditions, large and small, came into light, life, and teaching over the last thousands of years. At the time of human flourishing, the parts per million (ppm) levels in the atmosphere were 280ppm. It was 280ppm when the first indigenous lifeways rose up. It was 280ppm when Hindus gathered around shrines such as Kata Raj—which was damaged in the flooding. It was 280ppm when the people engaging Buddhist practices built stupas in Pakistan such as Thul Mir Rukan—which was damaged in the flooding. Moses parted the Reed Sea at 280ppm. Jesus of Nazareth was born at 280ppm. Islam rose and flourished at 280ppm, and is the national religion of Pakistan today. All at 280ppm. What happens now that we are at 416ppm and rising?

MORAL RESPONSE. The losses require a moral reflection. In considering the toll that the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of the natural world has already taken on people, communities and nations, there must be remedy and response from those who have caused the losses, and there must be real commitment not only to stop the destruction, but to heal the damage.

Areas of human habitation for 1000s of years are now underwater, including heritage sites that are either submerged by flood-water lakes, or damaged by rains. Many of these lakes have no where to drain, as the low-land areas are at or near sea level.

RESPONDING TO THE FLOODS. Even as we must address the big picture and long term consequences—and remedies—for those experiencing the impacts of climate change, we have ongoing and acute disasters causing suffering every year. The heat and flooding Pakistan experienced impacted millions: 33 million were displaced with many still unable to return to flooded fields and villages. Many lost everything, their homes, their necessary possessions, their livestock, and their lives. Many are camped out on roads, or in displacement settings, with make-shift shelters. The real work of re-establishing life in ahead of them.

Haris Bin Saqib stepped up to help and works with the non-profit Zariya based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has spent the last few weeks traveling to hard to reach areas in Sindh province to reach people and deliver basic, necessary aid—food, tents, water. In Part Two of the video (above) he walks us through his efforts. The sheer scale of the flooding makes the relief effort especially challenging, and with each passing week life gets harder for those waiting for the floodwater to recede. Says Saqib, “I think it's very important to realize the magnitude of loss.”

IMMEDIATE RELIEF. Rebuilding must include an end to fossil fuel pollution, and an all out restoration effort. But at the community level, in Sindh, addressing immediate poverty, illness and desperation caused by the disasters is the first step. Saqib’s group is doing just that alongside government agencies and other NGOs. His primary concern at this acute phase is to deliver the essentials, as “with each passing day things are getting worse.” The other concern he has is that “winter is just around the corner.” As such, priorities for relief are switching to what can sustain the community through the cold months, including quickly building houses—preferably concrete houses—and sourcing warm clothing.

“The houses were drowned…. they are uninhabitable to people…. And when it comes to providing aid, these are areas that are still not accessible because the whole road network is damaged. Most of the area is still below the water.”

—Haris Bin Saqib

REBUILDING COMMUNITY. Even as immediate concerns call for donations of food, shelter, and winter packs, the rebuilding must take stability into consideration, so that those affected can reestablish their lives, livelihoods, and maintain community and family connections. As Haris Bin Saqib travels hundreds of kilometers through the worst affected areas, he takes note of the need to provide a true path toward a sustainable life. The long term starts with immediate relief. But even at this beginning, aid workers also look toward mapping out a future that can be sustainable, then getting started on that longer term effort. It’s all about “sustaining local people,” says Saqib. “Local people can come together and they can build systems to sustain themselves.” That future will include homes that can withstand a future “tragedy like this.”

That kind of work requires money, time, resources, and know-how. This is where the west—where much of the carbon pollution came from in the first place—becomes a needed ally. Says Saqib, “A country like Pakistan is not at all equipped to handle a disaster like this.” Help is needed for strategic implementation for clean water, weather-proof housing, and adaptive farming among other things.

HOW YOU CAN HELP. Zariya is seeking immediate financial support to build winter housing, and purchase warm clothing and supplies. You can find Zariya on facebook, or contact them directly. UNICEF also has a fund set up for emergency and medical supplies specifically for supporting the children who have been effected.

In this video, Haris Bin Saqib speaks to what gives him hope—despite all the tragedy of the flood, there is still hope to be found.

COP27 - A CASE FOR LOSS AND DAMAGE. Over the last decades the consequences of burning fossil fuels has become more and more devastatingly evident. For decades delegates at the UN COP Climate meetings have recognized the problem, but have not yet taken the kind of steps needed to actually remedy and reverse the problem. At the 2009 Copenhagen COP an agreement was reached for oil-producing countries to provide $100 billion in damages annually starting in 2020. This relief has not yet been materialized.

The funds are essential for countries like Pakistan that are facing detrimental, ongoing harm and effects. Loss and Damage is a moral response to the unequal world, where some have benefitted while others have borne the brunt. Losses must be addressed, and even more so, experts across the spectrum agree that the carbon pollution must stop.

References & Learn more:

References for rainfall and heat numbers, see reports, such as these from April, July, and August, posted to the Climate Data Climate Data Processing Centre (CDPC) Pakistan Meteorological Department, University Road, Karachi, Pakistan

Learn more about the retreat & melt of glaciers and glacial lakes in Pakistan: Photos, Concerns as Pakistan glaciers melt, from Al Jazeera; Threat of Receding Glaciers Gives Pakistan Communities Sleepless Nights, from the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction; and Melting glaciers threaten Pakistan's north from Pakistan’s Express Tribune.

Drought/Water Scarcity. More about water scarcity in Pakistan from Dawn, Water crisis confronts both Pakistan and India, says UN report (here is that report) and The biggest problem. Climate change deepens water crisis, worries mount amid droughts from IBC News.

Distress Migration. Comment: Pakistan’s policymakers must address climate migration, from the Third Pole. And, Costs Of Climate Inaction: Displacement And Distress Migration, reports from the Platform of Disaster Displacement.

Ramadan & Heatwaves. Karachi Heat Wave: Some Muslims Can Eat During Ramadan, Cleric Says, from NBC News.

What is Loss and Damage. A great explainer from LossAndDamageCoalition. From The Guardian, Climate ‘loss and damage’: why it’s such a big deal at Cop27. And from the UN, Developing countries at COP27 call for ‘climate justice’ in the form of adaptation and loss and damage funds

Haris Bin Saqib is a tourism and hospitality consultant, relief worker, and Climate Reality Leader. He works as a community mobilizer and is the founder of the non profit organization Zariya, headquartered in Islamabad, which works with marginalized communities across Pakistan. Even before the most recent catastrophic flood, Saqib and Zariya have worked to equip and empower Pakistanis as they grapple with growing economic challenges, natural disasters and poverty. Find Mr. Saqib also on twitter and instagram. He joined us from his home in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Photo credits:

The Rev. Paul Jeffrey, a United Methodist clergyman, is an internationally acclaimed photojournalist who often works with organizations such as Christian Aid, United Women in Faith, and Church World Service. Photos in Part One Presentation video marked Paul Jeffery/Life on Earth Pictures. Photos depict the life and people of Sindh and Lahore, Pakistan, in 2005 and 2010. Rev. Paul Jeffrey iFind books by Paul Jeffery at Seabury Books, Food Fight: Struggling for Justice in a Hungry World, and Rubble Nation: Haiti's Pain, Haiti's Promise.

Haris Bin Saqib. Photos in the video presentations Part One and Part Two (as marked) are by Haris Bin Saqib.

Assorted. Thank you to photographers who shared their work on wikimedia and unsplash. Photographers whose work is included in Part One presentation video are credited on the presentation slides.

The Rev. Richenda Fairhurst organizes the Climate Cafe Multifaith as a co-leader of Faiths4Future. She serves on the Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon board, chairing the Creation Justice Committee and Oregon Interfaith Power and Light. Richenda is ordained in the United Methodist tradition, and served churches in Oregon and Washington State. Find her in real life in Southern Oregon, working as Steward of Climate with the nonprofit Circle Faith Future.

This article is republished with permission from Faiths4Future.org as part of United Methodist Insight's commitment to Covering Climate Now, an international collaboration of more than 500 news outlets pursuing enhanced reporting on the global climate crisis. To reproduce this content elsewhere, please contact the author via the Faiths4Future website.