PAKISTAN is confronting climate change under a governance model that was not designed for systemic, cross-border crises. Floods, heatwaves, droughts and glacial melt now interact with food security, public health, migration and fiscal stability. Yet the constitutional and fiscal architecture created after the 18th Amendment disperses authority, fragments accountability and leaves the federation with too little capacity to coordinate national responses. In a warming country already facing economic stress, this model is becoming a multiplier of vulnerability rather than a shield against it.

The 18th Amendment devolved extensive powers to the provinces, abolishing the Concurrent List and making provinces primarily responsible for key sectors such as health, education, agriculture, water and environment. Devolution addressed genuine grievances about over-centralisation and provincial autonomy. However, climate change is not a sectoral issue; it is a system shock. Rivers do not respect provincial boundaries, heatwaves spread across regions, and climate-induced migration strains cities far from the point of impact. Effective climate governance therefore requires strong federal coordination, data integration, financing........

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