ISLAMABAD: “What goes on in Pakistan in terms of climate change will not stay in Pakistan. Devastating recent floods in Pakistan were nature’s memo to humanity delivered through Pakistan,” said Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman.

Speaking at event ‘Pre-COP 27: From Paris to Sharm El-Sheikh’ jointly organised by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here yesterday she called for inclusive global decision-making on climate change and urged international community to not only meet commitments made under Paris Agreement but also to set more ambitious goals at COP 27.

She highlighted that vulnerable population of Pakistan was already experiencing impacts of climate change on their lives through changing weather patterns, crop losses and water shortages, placing them among bottom one percent of climate risk pyramid.  With reference to upcoming COP 27, she said that Pakistan’s slogan would be premised around questioning world on how long it was expected of a country like ours to tolerate this dystopia at our doorstep, especially considering, that we had a minimal part in inviting its creation.

In addition to major behavioural and lifestyle changes, a comprehensive risk reduction mapping, developed consultatively with provinces the federating units was vital for effective engagement on climate change globally. Most importantly, climate financing must be reoriented toward facilitating developing countries, she added. Materialisation of approved projects followed unrealistic timelines, amplifying root cause(s) of crisis in process.  She stressed that responsible and effective mitigation lied in capacity-building in three areas, i.e. resilience, adaptation and financing. Earlier President IRS Ambassador Nadeem Riyaz shared that half of world was susceptible to climate change in twenty-first century.

He shared that COP 27 will aim at providing viable options for climate finance, adaptation, loss and damage and increasing ambitions. Ambassador of France Nicolas Galey highlighted assistance provided by French government to Pakistan in providing relief to victims of floods. He called for greater attention toward needs of vulnerable communities in aftermath of natural disasters in Pakistan. Tarek Dahroug, Ambassador of Egypt said that climate change could reduce global economic output by 4 percent by 2050. 

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 20 2022

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