CLIMATE activists in South Asia have to realise that climate change is not really about temperature data or policy reports, they also have to track global trends.

The whole activity is about the pain of people.

It is about the fisherman in coastal Bangladesh who does not know if his home will survive the next cyclone. It is about the illiterate rural farmer in Pakistan who watched floodwater destroy his crops in just a few days. It is about families forced to start again with nothing.

The hardest part of reporting these stories is knowing that these people did almost nothing to create this crisis, but they are suffering the most.

What is even harder to accept is how quickly the world moves on. Disasters in the Global South become headlines for a few days and then disappear from global attention.

But for the people living there, the disaster does not end when the news coverage ends. Pain continues and recovery takes years. Do they finally recover? The answer is no. The uncertainty lasts much longer.

Climate change in the Global South feels less like an environmental issue and more like a daily struggle to survive.

Scientists warn that extreme heat, floods and food risks are increasing across South Asia because of climate change even though the region has contributed far less to the problem, according to an IPCC report.

This reality shows why climate change must also be seen as a justice issue, not just a science issue.

Across South Asia, the pattern of climate change is becoming clearer every year.

Extreme heat is increasing in Pakistan and India, making daily life dangerous for outdoor workers, farmers and low-income communities. Summers are becoming longer and more intense. Floods are also becoming more destructive and unpredictable.

Climate change does not care about disagreements in South Asia. Floods do not stop at borders. Heatwaves do not ask for visas. Shared risks need shared solutions, writes Mosabber Hossain

Pakistan’s 2022 floods showed how one disaster can destroy years of national development. More than 33 million people were affected and losses crossed the $30 billion mark, according to United Nations estimates.

Bangladesh is facing more sudden floods as well. Recently, flash floods damaged paddy fields in low-lying areas, destroying crops that farmers depended on for their yearly income. This year, farmers have cultivated paddy on about 963,000 hectares of land, but the crops have yet to reach the flowering stage.

Across South Asia, when agriculture fails, food prices rise and rural families lose financial security. Many people are forced to migrate to cities looking for work. Climate change could force millions more people in South Asia to move internally in the coming decades, warned the World Bank Groundswell report.

But migration brings new challenges. Many climate migrants end up in overcrowded urban areas, working in informal sectors with low wages and little protection. Some fall into exploitative work situations just to survive.

Climate pressure also increases social stress.

When jobs disappear and income drops, crime risks increase and community stability weakens.

Education is also affected. When disasters hit, schools close and many children never return because their families cannot afford it anymore.

Bangladesh is a great example of it.

Climate change is, therefore, not only destroying land and infrastructure, it is slowly damaging stability, development, progress and future opportunities for millions of people.

Pakistan’s floods also pushed the global conversation about climate justice, loss and damage funding.

Climate justice simply means fairness.

Countries that produced most emissions should help those suffering the worst impact.

Loss and damage refer to the destruction countries cannot prevent through preparation alone. When homes are destroyed, they must be rebuilt. When crops are lost, farmers need financial support to recover.

At the COP27 climate conference, countries agreed to establish a Loss and Damage Fund after years of pressure from vulnerable countries.

This decision gave hope to many developing nations, but hope depends on action. Many important questions remain. How much money will actually be provided? How fast will support reach the affected communities? Will the funding be grants or loans?

In the past, many climate finance promises were delayed or delivered in ways that increased debt rather than reducing vulnerability.

Because of this experience, countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh remain hopeful but cautious. They know promises alone cannot rebuild homes or restore livelihoods. South Asia is one of the most climate-vulnerable regions in the world despite relatively low emissions.

This is why climate finance should not be seen as some kind of charity. It should be seen as a responsibility.

Without fair financial support, climate disasters will continue to push vulnerable countries backwards even as they try to develop their economies and protect their people.

From Bangladesh, Pakistan’s story does not feel distant.

Our disasters may look different, but the experience is very similar. Bangladesh faces erosion, salinity, cyclones and floods. Nepal and Bhutan face risks from melting glaciers. India faces extreme heat and water shortages.

South Asia is under climate pressure from many directions.

Yet, the region still does not cooperate enough on climate action.

This is difficult to understand because working together could reduce many risks.

Countries could share flood information, improve early warning systems, and exchange knowledge on disaster response.

Bangladesh has shown how early warning systems and cyclone shelters can save thousands of lives.

Pakistan has learned difficult lessons about rebuilding after disasters.

Nepal and Bhutan understand mountain climate risks.

This knowledge should be shared more actively. But too often politics stands in the way of environmental cooperation.

Climate change does not care about political disagreements. Floods do not stop at borders. Heatwaves do not ask for visas.

If the risks are shared, then the solutions must also be shared. This is why Global South cooperation matters.

Countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan may not be the richest, but they have something important — experience, resilience and practical knowledge.

One truth is becoming clearer every year: the Global South cannot wait for others to solve its problems.

It must also build its own strength through cooperation.

Climate disasters are increasing. Recovery costs are rising. Support is still not enough.

The real question is not whether South Asia should work together. The real question is whether it has any other choice.

For millions of people in the region, climate justice is not a slogan.

It is about whether they can rebuild their lives, educate their children, and believe that the future will be safer than the past. Climate change is no longer a future risk.

It is today’s reality. Disasters may be uncertain, but their growing strength is clear.

What the world needs now is not more promises, but more unity.

The writer is an award-winning climate journalist based in Bangladesh.