A District Level Climate Change Vulnerability Index of Pakistan

In the wake of devolution and decentralisation in Pakistan there is a greater need to devise localised vulnerability to climate change indices as an easy reference for both policy-makers and the development sector. While global vulnerability indices are commercially motivated and based on country level data, ranking the degree of vulnerability to climate change across nations represents a ‘number’ aimed at directing, inter alia, development, disaster and aid efforts among countries. These indices however, fail to highlight subnational vulnerabilities existing within countries being ranked. Using the IPCC’s definitions of vulnerability in the context of climate change as a reference source, this study devises a district level vulnerability to climate change index for 22 districts of Pakistan. The Index shows that there exists a varying degree of vulnerability between districts and a further variation across the rural and urban divide of each district.