Climate Change Threatens Pakistan's Livestock Sector

Climate change poses an immediate threat to Pakistan's livestock sector, impacting rural livelihoods, food security, and public health. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events necessitate protecting both animal and human health through One Health.

PUBLIC HEALTH ECONOMICS

Muhammad Umair

6/24/2026

black and white cow on green grass field during daytime

When discussions about climate change in Pakistan arise, attention is usually drawn to dramatic disasters such as catastrophic floods, prolonged droughts, intense heatwaves, and melting glaciers. These highly visible events dominate media coverage because their impacts are immediate and devastating. Yet beneath these headline-grabbing crises lies a quieter and often overlooked threat that is steadily weakening the foundations of rural livelihoods: the growing impact of climate change on livestock.

Unlike floods or storms that strike suddenly, climate-related pressures on livestock develop gradually. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, shrinking water resources, deteriorating grazing lands, and the spread of new animal diseases are placing increasing stress on livestock production systems across the country. These changes may be less visible, but their long-term consequences are profound for food security, economic stability, and public health.

Livestock occupies a central position in Pakistan’s economy and rural society. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2022–23, the livestock sector contributes 60.6 percent of agricultural value added and around 14 percent of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It remains the single largest component of the agricultural economy and plays a critical role in supporting rural development.

The importance of livestock extends far beyond economic statistics. More than eight million rural households depend directly on animals for their livelihoods. Cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, and poultry provide milk, meat, eggs, wool, hides, manure, and draft power. They also function as a form of household savings and insurance, allowing families to cope with emergencies, crop failures, and unexpected expenses.

For many rural households, livestock income helps pay school fees, purchase medicines, improve nutrition, and maintain basic living standards. Entire rural value chains including feed suppliers, veterinary services, dairy processors, meat traders, transporters, and leather industries depend on a healthy livestock sector. As climate change intensifies, protecting animal health and productivity is therefore not merely an agricultural concern; it is essential for safeguarding livelihoods, reducing poverty, and strengthening the resilience of Pakistan’s rural economy.

Climate Change and the Growing Fragility of Rural Livelihoods

Pakistan faces one of the greatest climate injustices of the modern era. Despite contributing less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the country ranks among the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world. This vulnerability stems largely from its geographical and environmental characteristics. Home to nearly 13,000 glaciers, the largest concentration outside the polar regions, Pakistan is highly exposed to climate-induced glacier melt, water insecurity, extreme weather events, and ecological disruption. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, and increasingly intense floods are creating unprecedented challenges for agriculture, livestock production, and rural livelihoods.

The devastating floods of 2022–2023 provide a stark illustration of these risks. Triggered by exceptionally heavy monsoon rains and accelerated glacial melt, the disaster submerged nearly one-third of the country and affected approximately 33 million people. More than eight million individuals were displaced, while hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged. Critical infrastructure suffered extensive losses, including thousands of kilometres of roads and railway tracks, disrupting markets, supply chains, and economic activity across large parts of the country.

The livestock sector was among the hardest hit. Millions of rural households lost a vital source of income and food security as an estimated 800,000 to 1.16 million animals perished during the floods. In addition, more than 4.4 million acres of agricultural land were damaged, reducing the availability of fodder and feed resources. Surviving animals faced severe nutritional stress, contaminated water supplies, disease outbreaks, and declining productivity. Milk yields dropped, reproductive performance weakened, and animal mortality rates increased, placing enormous pressure on already vulnerable households.

The economic consequences were equally severe. Total damages and losses exceeded US$30 billion, while recovery and reconstruction requirements surpassed US$16 billion. Millions of people were pushed deeper into poverty as livelihoods, assets, and employment opportunities disappeared almost overnight. Scientific assessments indicate that climate change significantly increased the likelihood and intensity of the rainfall that contributed to the disaster. As global temperatures continue to rise, similar extreme events are expected to become more frequent, making climate resilience an urgent priority for Pakistan’s livestock-dependent rural economy.

Climate Change, Livestock Diseases, and Public Health Risks

Beyond the immediate destruction caused by floods, droughts, and heatwaves, climate change is reshaping the disease landscape of Pakistan’s livestock sector in ways that are often less visible but equally damaging. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increasing humidity are creating favorable conditions for the emergence, spread, and persistence of animal diseases. This represents a slow-moving crisis that threatens livestock productivity, rural incomes, food security, and public health.

Heat stress has become one of the most significant challenges facing livestock producers. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures reduces feed intake, weakens immunity, lowers fertility rates, and decreases milk and meat production. Animals under thermal stress are more vulnerable to infections and recover more slowly from illness. High-yielding exotic breeds are particularly susceptible because they are less adapted to Pakistan’s harsh climatic conditions than indigenous breeds.

At the same time, warmer temperatures and altered precipitation patterns are expanding the habitats of disease-carrying vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes, flies, and other parasites. As a result, outbreaks of economically important diseases are becoming more frequent. Hemorrhagic septicemia, a highly fatal bacterial disease, continues to threaten cattle and buffalo populations, while foot-and-mouth disease remains a major constraint to livestock productivity and trade. Tick-borne diseases and parasitic infestations are also increasing, causing weight loss, reduced milk yields, reproductive problems, and higher mortality rates.

These health challenges create a chain reaction throughout rural economies. Disease outbreaks reduce livestock productivity, increase veterinary expenses, disrupt milk and meat supply chains, and force many households to sell animals prematurely to meet immediate financial needs. Such distress sales often erode the long-term asset base of rural families, pushing vulnerable households deeper into poverty.

The risks extend beyond agriculture. Climate-sensitive zoonotic diseases such as Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and Avian Influenza pose growing threats to human health, particularly among farmers, veterinarians, butchers, and dairy workers who interact closely with animals. Since many emerging infectious diseases originate in animals, strengthening livestock health systems is also an investment in public health security. Protecting animal health, therefore, is not only essential for sustaining rural livelihoods but also for safeguarding communities against future health emergencies.

Building Resilience Through a One Health Approach

Confronting the growing climate-related challenges facing Pakistan’s livestock sector requires a shift from fragmented responses toward a comprehensive and integrated strategy. The One Health approach, which recognizes the close links between human health, animal health, and environmental sustainability, offers a practical framework for strengthening resilience in rural communities. As climate change increases the frequency of heat stress, disease outbreaks, droughts, floods, and food insecurity, solutions must address these interconnected risks simultaneously rather than in isolation.

A key priority is expanding veterinary services in underserved rural areas where livestock owners often have limited access to professional animal healthcare. Improved veterinary coverage can help detect diseases early, reduce mortality, and improve animal productivity. Strengthening diagnostic laboratories is equally important, enabling rapid identification of emerging diseases and facilitating timely responses before outbreaks spread widely.

Pakistan also needs climate-sensitive disease surveillance systems capable of monitoring environmental changes, tracking disease vectors, and providing early warnings of potential outbreaks. Such systems can significantly reduce the economic and health impacts of livestock diseases. Promoting climate-smart livestock practices including improved housing, heat-stress management, better nutrition, water conservation, and resilient breeding strategies can further enhance the adaptive capacity of farmers and their animals.

Investment in research and the development of locally adapted vaccines is another critical area. Indigenous solutions tailored to Pakistan’s climatic conditions can improve disease control while reducing dependence on imported technologies. The economic case for these investments is strong. Every rupee spent on disease prevention, surveillance, and climate adaptation can save many more in avoided livestock losses, reduced treatment costs, improved productivity, and lower public health risks. Ultimately, strengthening livestock resilience is not only an agricultural necessity but also a strategic investment in rural livelihoods, food security, poverty reduction, and national economic stability in an increasingly uncertain climate future.

Conclusion

Climate change is no longer a distant environmental concern for Pakistan; it is an immediate threat to the livestock sector that underpins rural livelihoods, food security, and public health. As rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and emerging animal diseases become more frequent, millions of livestock-dependent households face growing economic and social vulnerability. The devastating floods of recent years and the increasing spread of climate-sensitive diseases highlight the urgent need for proactive action rather than reactive responses. Strengthening veterinary services, disease surveillance, climate-smart livestock management, and One Health interventions can help build resilience while protecting both animal and human health. Investing in livestock adaptation is not simply an agricultural priority, it is an investment in poverty reduction, rural development, food security, and national economic stability. Safeguarding Pakistan’s livestock sector today will help ensure a more resilient, healthier, and more prosperous rural economy in the face of an increasingly uncertain climate future.

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writer is affiliated with the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore, Pakistan and can be reached at mlog64622@gmail.com

Climate Change Threatens Pakistan's Livestock Sector

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