As the world melts around them, climate refugees in Hunza pin hopes on COP29 – Pakistan

In the remote highlands of northern Pakistan, the Ismail family once lived in harmony with the towering glaciers that crowned their village. They had deep ties to the land —an enduring connection forged through generations of farming, herding, and living in the shadows of the majestic mountains.

In 2022, however, a catastrophic glacier outburst flood (GLOF) ravaged their home, and with it, their way of life. The flood swept through their village, leaving them with nothing but the painful memories of a once-thriving existence.

Ismail, the sole breadwinner of the family, recalls the fateful day as if it were yesterday. “I was in the fields when the earth began to shake. By the time I got back to the house, the water was already at our doorstep. My wife and children were trapped inside. I had no choice but to grab them and run,” he said, his voice breaking with the weight of the loss. The family barely escaped with their lives, but their home, along with their crops, livestock, and belongings, were swept away by the torrent of water and debris.

Ismail’s family consists of seven members: himself, his wife Zahra, their three children — Sana, Bilal, and Rashid — and his elderly parents, Zulfiqar and Shahida. Before the flood, their lives revolved around farming and raising livestock.

“We lost more than just our home; we lost a part of ourselves,” said Zahra, looking out across the barren landscape where their once-flourishing farm stood. “My children don’t play the way they used to. They look at the mountains with fear now, not with wonder.”

Ismail’s elderly parents, Zulfiqar and Shahida, are still in shock. “We never thought something like this could happen to us,” Zulfiqar says, his frail voice trembling. “We’ve lived here all our lives. These glaciers were our protection, our lifeblood. Now, they have turned against us.”

Climate refugees

The May 2022 flood displaced over 1,000 families across Hunza and Nagar districts in Gilgit-Baltistan. In Hunza alone, around 500 families were forced to leave their homes, particularly in Hassanabad and nearby villages, as floodwaters swept away homes, infrastructure, and agricultural land, leaving hundreds stranded and in urgent need of assistance.

In Hassanabad, the idea of leaving their ancestral land fills many residents with disbelief. These families have lived on the lush orchard fields, nestled among towering mountains, for over 400 years, cultivating crops and grazing livestock in the high plains. For many, the village is not just home — it’s where their ancestors are buried, and the thought of relocating feels unimaginable. With limited resources and deep emotional ties to the land, most say they simply cannot afford to leave the place that has been their life for generations.

The Ismail family, like many others in the region, has become climate refugees — forced to flee their ancestral land as rising temperatures and melting glaciers increasingly threaten their way of life. With no permanent shelter, they have sought refuge in nearby towns and villages, living in temporary shelters and struggling to find work and rebuild their shattered lives. But even in displacement, they face the ongoing fear of future climate events, as the threat of floods, landslides, and extreme weather events continues to loom large.

Hope melting fast

All eyes on COP

According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), glaciers in South Asia are on track to lose up to 75pc of their ice by the century’s end due to global warming. As a result of this melting, Pakistan experienced 14 glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) between 2018 and 2021, but that number surged to 75 in 2022, according to data gathered by the UNDP.

Dr Miriam Jackson, senior Cryosphere Specialist at ICIMOD, has discussed at length the alarming shift in the Karakoram region, where glaciers that were once stable or growing are now melting at an accelerated rate. A 2023 ICIMOD report revealed that glacier melt has increased by 65pc over the past decade (2010-2019) compared to the previous one. This is particularly concerning for agriculture, which relies on glacier meltwater, as shrinking glaciers will eventually lead to reduced runoff.

Dr Jackson emphasised that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to slowing glacier melt, urging countries, including Pakistan, to cut emissions and prioritise public transport. She also called for more research on the cryosphere, as the current knowledge of glaciers and snow is limited. She stressed that COP must focus on urgent climate action to meet the Paris Agreement’s target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, warning that millions of people, especially in downstream regions, will be affected by changes in water resources, hydropower, and climate-induced migration.

As world leaders gather for the 29th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP 29) — and many others skip it altogether — the Ismail family is among the millions whose plight serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of climate change. Their story is one of resilience but also one of profound loss — loss not just of material possessions, but of a way of life that has been passed down through generations.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a key international summit where countries discuss and negotiate actions to combat climate change, focusing on goals such as limiting global warming to 1.5°C, reducing emissions, and funding climate adaptation. COP29 is crucial for strengthening global climate commitments, particularly for vulnerable countries like Pakistan, which face severe climate impacts such as floods, melting glaciers, droughts and food insecurity.

Since the Paris Agreement (COP21) in 2015, global climate pledges have aimed to limit warming to 1.5°C and provide $100 billion annually for climate finance. However, progress has been slow.

Despite pledges at COP26 (held in 2021) to phase out coal and reduce methane emissions, many countries are still not meeting their targets. A year on, COP27 (2022) established a loss and damage fund for vulnerable nations, but funding gaps remain.

At COP28 (2023), the focus was on emissions reductions and climate justice, but the lack of binding commitments and slow implementation continues to hinder progress. Overall, while awareness and some actions have increased, global emissions are still rising, and the world remains off track to meet the 1.5°C target.

This year, Pakistan is presenting its case to the international community at COP29 being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11-22. This is a critical opportunity to amplify its voice and underscore that the climate crisis is not a distant threat, but a present-day reality jeopardising the lives and livelihoods of millions. The Ismail family’s suffering, like that of many others displaced by climate disasters, is not just a matter of physical loss but a profound socio-economic upheaval.

Expectations from 2029