Extreme Weather Intensifies Child Malnutrition Crisis in Pakistan

Pakistan, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, is facing a growing health crisis as extreme weather events are increasingly linked to child stunting and malnutrition. A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has revealed that rising temperatures, heavy rainfall, and prolonged droughts are severely impacting the nutrition and growth of children under two years old.

Climate Change Deepening Malnutrition

Traditionally, poverty, food insecurity, and poor maternal health have been seen as the main causes of child malnutrition. However, the new research adds another alarming dimension — climate stress. It shows that weather extremes like heatwaves and torrential rains disrupt food production, worsen hunger, and weaken children’s ability to absorb nutrients, leading to stunted growth.

The study analyzed geo-tagged data from Pakistan’s National Nutrition Surveys conducted in 2011 and 2018, covering nearly 30,000 children from 140 districts. Researchers compared nutrition and food security data with detailed weather records, including temperature, rainfall, and soil moisture. Their findings revealed a direct link between higher temperatures and lower Length-for-Age (LAZ) scores — a key measure of stunting in children under two years of age.

Balochistan and Sindh Most Affected

The study identified Balochistan and Sindh as the regions most exposed to heat and drought, with the highest rates of stunting and wasting. According to researchers, each 1°C increase in average temperature was associated with a measurable decline in children’s growth indicators. Similarly, higher rainfall and flooding were found to negatively impact child nutrition due to displacement, disease outbreaks, and reduced food availability.

Health expert Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, from the Aga Khan University, emphasized that extreme heat and erratic rainfall can no longer be overlooked as secondary factors. “We must now consider climate change alongside poverty and poor maternal diet when addressing child malnutrition,” he noted, citing previous research showing that early-life heat exposure can have long-lasting metabolic effects.

Floods, Heatwaves, and a Changing Climate

Pakistan’s recent climate disasters illustrate the urgency of the issue. The 2022 floods, driven by record-breaking monsoon rains, affected millions and caused an estimated $30 billion in losses. Scientists confirmed that global warming amplified the intensity of these floods, while heatwaves triggered rapid snowmelt and glacial outburst floods in the north.

In 2025, the country again faced abnormal weather — with monsoon rains starting nearly a month early and continuing until mid-September. Punjab’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority reported that this year’s rainfall and glacial melt caused severe flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage across multiple provinces.

Call for Climate-Integrated Health Policies

Researchers from the Institute for Global Health & Development at Aga Khan University and the Centre for Global Child Health in Toronto are urging policymakers to include climate factors in nutrition and health planning. They warn that without immediate adaptation efforts, extreme weather will continue to threaten child survival and development in Pakistan.

Climate-resilient nutrition programs, improved food systems, and disaster-preparedness strategies are now essential to safeguard the country’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens.