KARACHI: A German scholar has expressed serious concern about the lack of data on climate change-affected populations in Pakistan and noted that riverbank erosion is among the most prominent consequences of environmental change in the country.
During a lecture at the University of Karachi on Wednesday, Dr Jan Freihardt warned that several regions, including Balochistan, coastal Sindh, and Gilgit-Baltistan, are slowly but increasingly being damaged by climate change.
He was speaking at a lecture — Climate Change and (Im)Mobility: The Case of Bangladesh and Implications for Pakistan — organised by the Unesco Chair on Medicinal and Bio-Organic Natural Product Chemistry at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS).
Dr Freihardt is a postdoctoral eesearcher at the Chair for International Political Economy and Environmental Politics (IPEE), ETH Zurich’s Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (D-GESS).
Dr Jan Freihardt says there is a significant link between environmental changes and increased likelihood of migration
He shared insights into the critical role of environmental change in shaping human mobility and adaptation, with emphasis on climate-vulnerable populations.
In his presentation, he said that the lack of data on people affected by climate change in Pakistan needs urgent attention. He explained how environmental change shapes human mobility and adaptation, particularly among climate-vulnerable populations.
He noted that his research analyses migration, immobility and coping strategies in the face of hazards such as erosion, flooding and drought.
There is a significant link between environmental changes and an increased likelihood of migration, he said.
In Pakistan, gradual climate-related problems such as drought, increasing soil salinity and land erosion are becoming more severe and accelerating in Balochistan, coastal Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“I combine surveys, remote sensing, and fieldwork to capture the socio-political dimensions of climate risk,” he said.
Beyond migration, he examines disaster risk communication, public perceptions of adaptation and citizen responses to air quality monitoring in urban areas.
Talking about Bangladesh, he said the country is highly vulnerable to climate change and is affected by riverbank erosion, floods, cyclones, storm surges, drought, and salinity intrusion.
He further noted that he is committed to transformative science and works to connect academic research with society through creative projects, NGO engagement and collaborative initiatives.
Earlier, ICCBS Director and Unesco Chair holder Prof Muhammad Raza Shah welcomed the visiting scholar and emphasised that climate change is a critical global issue, as environmental changes are severely affecting ecosystems worldwide.
He said humans bear the primary responsibility to protect the environment, even though human activities have largely contributed to environmental degradation.
The event was also attended by a large number of researchers and students.
Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2026
