Rising temperatures, floods, and drought add to environmental and climate risks in Pakistan, but they also adversely impact the livelihoods of women connected to economies reshaped by climate change. The American Pakistan Foundation hosted a discussion on the impact of climate change on women in Pakistan with Sara Hayat, a Lahore-based lawyer and consultant. Ms. Hayat specializes in climate change law and policy and has worked extensively with governments and international organizations on climate change and human rights in Pakistan. She was joined by moderator Neha Ansari, a member of the APF Leadership Council and adjunct professor at George Washington University.

Speakers

Sara Hayat is a lawyer and consultant specializing in climate change law and policy. She has advised the government on preparing Pakistan’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Sara is also working on implementing adaptation measures in the coastal region of Sindh with the World Bank. Sara has experience working on climate change induced displacement in Sindh and recommended revisions to the pending Sindh Climate Change Policy. Alongside having designed Pakistan’s first climate change narrative, including a localised vocabulary on climate change, in both Urdu and English for Amnesty International. She is also preparing a white paper on how the US and Pakistan can collaborate on combatting climate change, with the United States Institute of Peace. She is a main member of Climate Action Pakistan which organised the first climate strikes in Pakistan and raised a wave of climate activism and awareness. Sara is routinely invited as a guest speaker and climate expert to raise awareness on climate change and dispel common misconceptions on the same. She takes special interest in the impacts of climate change on women in Pakistan and brings their plight to the forefront through continued discourse. Sara completed her LLB from Lahore before going for her first LLM to Durham University, UK. She then practiced law in Pakistan for over 6 years before going for a second LLM to the University of Michigan, US, to study climate change law and environmental justice. Sara writes on climate change for leading publications and was the Vice Chairperson for the Lahore High Court Committee on Air Pollution and Solid Waste Management. She is an Adjunct Professor at LUMS and writes on climate change for leading newspapers. 

Neha Ansari is a PhD Candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and a Lecturer at The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Her dissertation studies the shift in public opinion within Pakistan’s tribal belt on American drone strikes. Her research interests, more broadly, include security studies, emerging threats, new technologies, artificial intelligence and its impact on warfighting, counterterrorism, and counterinsurgency. She is a Fulbright Scholar and is originally from Karachi, Pakistan, where she previously worked as a journalist. She holds a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy (MALD) from the Fletcher School, and an M.A. and B.A. (Honors) from the University of Karachi, Pakistan.