Identifying Priority Adaptation Actions in Pakistan: A Situation Analysis

The report identifies Pakistan as highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geography, economic dependence on agriculture, and high poverty levels. It evaluates the 2013 National Climate Change Plan (NCCP) and the impact of the 18th Amendment, which devolved environmental responsibility to provinces. The document proposes ten priority action areas across policy, governance, technical capacity, and capacity building, while drawing lessons from adaptation planning in Kenya and the Dominican Republic.

• Pakistan is ranked as one of the ten most vulnerable countries to climate extremes according to the Global Climate Risk Index, with 141 recorded extreme events over two decades causing an average of over 500 deaths and more than USD 2 billion in annual economic losses.
• Climate change is causing significant shifts in temperature and precipitation: mean annual temperatures increased by 0.57°C in the 20th century, and while national precipitation rose by 25% between 1901 and 2000, rainfall in southern arid plains and coastal areas decreased by 10 to 15% since 1960.
• Agricultural productivity is threatened by climate change, with projections indicating wheat yields could decrease by 6 to 8 percent and Basmati rice yields could decline by 15 to 18 percent.
• The 18th Amendment to the Constitution has devolved environmental responsibility to the provinces, meaning the federal government now primarily coordinates and represents Pakistan internationally, while service delivery and implementation occur at the provincial level.
• Pakistan's access to international adaptation funding is limited; while it uses the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Adaptation Fund, the report suggests that bilateral donors and a planned national climate change fund may be more effective for achieving financing objectives.
• Lessons from Kenya demonstrate that adaptation prioritization must integrate socio-economic development needs alongside climate risk assessments to ensure buy-in from government ministries and a manageable list of actions.
• The case of the Dominican Republic highlights the importance of participatory, watershed-level risk assessments and the need to involve local partners in research to build long-term national capacity.
• The report proposes ten priority options for action, including the establishment of National and Provincial Implementing Entities (NIEs) to directly access the Adaptation Fund and the strengthening of meteorological monitoring to address the lack of weather stations in mountain areas.

APA

Parry, J.-E., Keller, M., & Murphy, D. (2013). Identifying Priority Adaptation Actions in Pakistan: A Situation Analysis. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SituationAnalysis_Adaptation_final_july13.pdf

Chicago

Parry, Jo-Ellen, Marius Keller, and Deborah Murphy. Identifying Priority Adaptation Actions in Pakistan: A Situation Analysis. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2013. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SituationAnalysis_Adaptation_final_july13.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parry |first1=Jo-Ellen |last2=Keller |first2=Marius |last3=Murphy |first3=Deborah |title=Identifying Priority Adaptation Actions in Pakistan: A Situation Analysis |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2013 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SituationAnalysis_Adaptation_final_july13.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parry2013identifying, author = {Parry, Jo-Ellen and Keller, Marius and Murphy, Deborah}, title = {{Identifying Priority Adaptation Actions in Pakistan: A Situation Analysis}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2013}, month = jul, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/SituationAnalysis_Adaptation_final_july13.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }