Breathe Pakistan: Water minister, experts sound alarm on Pakistan's 'lifeline' Indus basin 'shrinking'

The second edition of The Breathe Pakistan International Climate Change Conference, organised by Dawn Media, is currently underway in Islamabad. Despite contributing minimally to global emissions, Pakistan remains among the most climate-vulnerable nations, underscoring the critical need for coordinated, locally grounded, and globally informed responses. The two-day conference brings together policymakers, experts, and stakeholders from across sectors to examine intersecting challenges and chart a path forward. The first edition of Breathe Pakistan sparked national dialogue and global collaboration around vital climate challenges — from climate justice and finance to renewable energy transitions, disaster risk reduction, and inclusive public-private partnerships. View the full agenda here. 3:46pm — ‘Think of nature as infrastructure’ In his closing address, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s (AIIB) Dr Murtaza Syed noted that the bank thought about infrastructure “for tomorrow”. “We’ve begun thinking about how to think of nature as infrastructure, including mangroves and tree restoration and how to use that as much as possible as opposed to grey infrastructure,” he said. Dr Murtaza stressed that to ensure a robust water cycle, it was necessary to invest in soft infrastructure. “We will not just need investment in hard infrastructure but also in soft infrastructure, particularly in terms of improved governance, data collection,” he said, Murtaza observed that water risks were increasingly becoming macroeconomic risks, as well as political and social risks. He pointed out that while Pakistan was short on water resources, it also exported products that were “water-intensive”. 3:35pm — Need to ‘plan for the system’: Aga Khan Agency for Habitat official Nusrat Nasab, country director at the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), stressed the need to work together rather than in silos. “I think it is more important that when we plan, […] we plan for the system.” Nasab conte