Climate Crisis, Migration, and Social Justice: A Global South Perspective (Case of Pakistan)

Abstract

The emerging pace in the climate crisis is now an emblematic feature of the 21st century, and it has precipitated unprecedented human displacement and migration patterns, especially in the global south. Pakistan, as an example of some of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, demonstrates the overlapping of environmental degradation, technological adaptation, and social inequality. This paper discusses the relocation of Pakistani society as a result of climate-related factors, who gains access to the technological process of adaptation, and who is left behind. The study combines both quantitative survey data of flood-prone districts and qualitative data of policy experts, migrants, and development practitioners using a mixed-method design. The results show that the issue of migration due to the climate is not only an environmental phenomenon but a multidimensional phenomenon, which is influenced by structural inequalities, gender, class, and access to technology. Computer tools like early-warning systems and GIS-based disaster mapping can be used to lessen the vulnerability, but they are residing in the hands of urban elites and institutional entities. Being disconnected and illiterate are common features of displaced rural populations who can use such tools to support inequities. The paper highlights how there is an imperative to have socially just climate adaptation policies that incorporate technological innovation with inclusion governance and empowerment of populations.