Delayed relief

THE decision to defer the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage’s first funding approvals is a setback for countries on the front line of the climate crisis. Pakistan, which continues to endure devastating floods, heatwaves and droughts, has submitted three proposals in the hope of securing assistance. Yet the Fund’s board has postponed funding decisions until December after being overwhelmed by demand. The numbers are striking. Developing countries have submitted 176 proposals worth $2.8bn, while only $342m has been earmarked for the pilot phase. Even if additional pledges materialise, available resources will remain a fraction of what vulnerable states require. Concerns over opaque procedures, cumbersome decision-making and institutional bottlenecks only deepen doubts about whether urgently needed support can ever arrive in time.

This should not obscure the principle behind the Fund. Wealthier nations, whose historical emissions have driven much of today’s climate emergency, have a responsibility to help countries bearing its harshest consequences. They must honour that commitment with adequate financing rather than forcing vulnerable states into competitions for scarce resources. At the same time, Pakistan cannot afford to base its climate strategy on expectations of external help. International funding will remain uncertain, politically contested and insufficient relative to the scale of the challenge. Pakistan therefore must invest far more aggressively in its own resilience through stronger flood defences, climate-resilient agriculture, heat action plans, better water management, early warning systems and disaster-ready health services. Domestic climate financing, improved governance and better implementation must be national priorities. The climate crisis is advancing faster than global funding mechanisms can respond. External support should therefore complement, not define, our response to climate change. While continuing to press for climate justice abroad, the country must build the capacity, institutions and resilience needed to protect its people, regardless of when the funds finally arrive.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2026

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