Zoha Najeeb
Thesis: Coping with Compound Environmental Stressors: Urban Household Adaptation to Floods and Smog in Lahore, Pakistan
Climate change is increasing the frequency of overlapping environmental hazards, yet most research examines floods, heatwaves, or air pollution in isolation. This project investigates how urban households adapt when exposed to multiple environmental stressors at once, focusing on recurrent flooding and chronic air pollution (smog) in Lahore, Pakistan. It asks why households in similar neighbourhoods facing comparable risks experience very different adaptation outcomes, with some building resilience while others become trapped in cycles of debt, asset loss and increasing vulnerability.
The research examines how socio-economic inequalities, housing conditions and access to public institutions shape households' ability to respond to compound risks. Using a mixed-methods approach, it combines household surveys, qualitative interviews, institutional analysis and satellite-derived environmental data to identify the mechanisms driving successful adaptation or maladaptation.
Beyond advancing understanding of climate adaptation, the project addresses an important policy challenge. Disaster management systems often respond to acute events like floods, while chronic hazards such as air pollution are governed separately, creating gaps in support for vulnerable communities. The research aims to evaluate how this institutional fragmentation influences household resilience and identify opportunities for more integrated climate governance.
The findings aim to contribute to theories of climate adaptation, urban resilience and environmental inequality, while providing evidence to inform disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation policy in Pakistan. More broadly, the project aims to generate insights relevant to rapidly urbanising cities across South Asia and other regions facing increasingly frequent compound climate hazards, supporting the development of more equitable and resilient responses to climate change.
Biography:
An economist by training, I am interested in how households cope with environmental shocks and why some recover more easily than others. After a BSc in Economics and Mathematics at LUMS, Lahore, and an MSc in Development Management (Applied Development Economics) at the LSE, I have now started my PhD in Global Sustainable Development at Warwick. My earlier research projects examined how the 2011 floods shaped rural-urban migration patterns in Pakistan and how institutions in Lahore and Delhi have responded to recurring smog crises, using adaptive governance theory. I have also worked on tracking green growth projects as a Student Development Consultant with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Beyond research, I enjoy communicating ideas to wider audiences and giving my time to causes I care about. I have volunteered as a writer on African economic and political developments as a United Nations Volunteer, and as a researcher on household air pollution in Sub-Saharan Africa with the WONDER Foundation. I also helped launch an undergraduate economic policy podcast at LUMS. I like a good puzzle, and the ones I find most compelling are those where the answer could inform real-life decisions.Other research interests:
- Climate change adaptation
- Urban resilience
- Sustainable Cities
- Disaster risk governance
Global Sustainable Development
University of Warwick
2026 Cohort
Supervisors:
Professor Ulf Liebe
Dr Feng Mao