For Pakistan’s textile business owners and policymakers, a recent study by Schroders and Cornell University on the potential impact of extreme heat and flooding on the garment industry should be a wake-up call. As workers struggle with the heat and factories close, extreme heat and flooding caused by rapid climate change could lead to massive job losses and wipe out $65 billion in apparel export earnings from four Asian countries by 2030, according to the study’s authors. Cambodia, Pakistan and Vietnam. Unless corrective action is taken, losses will continue to grow. These countries employ 10.6 million people in apparel and footwear manufacturing and produce 18% of the apparel exported worldwide. According to the paper, “Understanding the physical risks associated with climate for companies in a warming world is critical, but the process is in its infancy, with few companies disclosing enough information and few investors making appropriate assessments.” “The industry’s response to climate change is all about mitigation, emissions and recycling, and almost nothing about floods and heat,” experts say. These observations are particularly relevant for Pakistan, where textile and apparel exporters have yet to recognize the serious implications of climate change for their industry and develop viable solutions. Instead of preparing to combat climate change, progressive businesses have at best adopted basic mitigation strategies at the factory level to reduce fossil fuel use, switch to renewable energy, and install wastewater treatment plants to reduce costs and allay consumer concerns about the environment. in Western markets. Although necessary for the survival of businesses, no industry-wide efforts have been made in this direction. Unfortunately, our lawmakers remain ignorant of the need to develop policies to counter the effects of global warming on the economy and jobs. The country’s economy and exports have recently experienced significant upheaval, with frequent climate-related floods and heat waves leading to billions in export losses, as well as increased poverty and unemployment. Pakistan is among the 10 countries most affected by climate change, so governments, business leaders and other stakeholders, including factory workers, must work together to develop climate-resilient solutions to avoid the likely losses in employment and exports that the report predicts .