Islamabad, Pakistan – As Pakistan reels from one of the worst flooding to have hit the country in decades, where more than 1,000 people have been killed and more than two million displaced, Pakistan’s climate change minister has slammed the “crisis of justice” facing his country.The United Nations said more than six million people in all have been affected after local officials said cloudbursts and a heavier-than-usual monsoon caused landslides and massive flooding since June 26. More than 12,500 houses have been damaged and 6,500 livestock lost in addition to the widespread destruction of crops across the country, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listClimate change is seen as one of the several factors contributing to the deluge. Pakistan ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, but it contributes less than 1 percent of global emissions. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan’s climate change minister Musadik Malik also questioned the “lopsided allocation” of funding that the country has received from the international community to fight the impact of climate change. Al Jazeera: Pakistan is highly dependent on agriculture. How big a threat is climate change, particularly the melting of glaciers, to this vital sector?Malik: Around 50 to 55 percent of Pakistan’s population is engaged in agriculture. Our agricultural system is predominantly sustained by canals and rivers, with some reliance on rainfall. Pakistan is home to some 13,000 glaciers. If these glaciers, due to global warming and increased carbon emissions primarily from developed economies, begin to melt erratically and at a much faster rate – and there’s substantial evidence tha …
