Egypt: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan needed additional funding, not debts, to rebuild a resilient and adaptive infrastructure in face of climate change. In his national statement at COP27 climate conference in Egypt, premier stressed that it was duty of global north to understand Pakistan's plight.

Addressing world leaders, he said that climate change-induced catastrophic flooding in Pakistan had impacted 33 million people size of three European countries with more than half being women and children. PM Shehbaz highlighted that floods had destroyed over 8,000 kilometers of highways, damaged more than 3,000 kilometers of railway tracks and washed away crops over four million acres.

"Post-Disaster Needs Assessment estimates over $ 30 billion in loss and damage." He said that Pakistan suffered manmade disaster despite less than one percent contribution to carbon footprint, adding that amid these disastrous conditions, flood-hit Pakistan had to import wheat, palm oil and "very expensive" oil and gas spending around $ 32 billion.

He said country had also redirected its resources to meet basic needs of millions of flood-affected households. "Pakistan is spending billions of dollars from its own resources to provide shelter, homes, medical aid and food package to millions of people. "How one can expect us to carry out this gigantic task on our own," he asked and then thanked international community for extending support to Pakistan for relief of flood survivors.

Highlighting Pakistan's priorities, he emphasised prioritising Global Goal on Adaptation both in terms of financing and timelines. "Current financing gap is too high to sustain any real recovery needs of those on frontlines of climate catastrophe." Secondly loss and damage needed to be a part of core agenda of COP27 to meet pressing humanitarian needs of those who were trapped in a crisis of public financing fueled by debt and yet had to fund climate disasters on their own.

Thirdly, PM called for clearly defining climate finance as new, additional and sustained resources with a transparent mechanism to meet needs of developing and vulnerable countries with required speed and scale. He said COP27 summit rang an alarm bell for humanity as it was only platform where vulnerable countries took their case to rich and resourced, to build a common purpose for justice, carbon neutrality and a roadmap to crucial policy resets. He added that bargain between North and South would not work unless there was a transformational shift in flow of capacities, finances and technology that reversed pyramid of climate capital

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 09 2022

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