The global experts convened on Thursday warned that exacerbating climate change was the biggest threat and impediment to the countries of the global south especially Pakistan to achieve economic and environmental resilience.
The inaugural of the two-day conference titled “The World, Pakistan & Provinces in Climate Change” was opened by Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal who critically outlined the country’s rising climate vulnerability, its losses and damages embraced during past climatic disasters and the government’s initiatives leading climate change from the front.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mohamed Yahya in his keynote address quoted the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres’ remarks saying, “We are on a Highway to Climate Hell with our foot still on the accelerator.” He added that the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) continued to rise towards a catastrophic increase of earth temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius by the end of this century which was far beyond the targets agreed under the Paris Agreement.
In the 2022 floods, he said Pakistan’s experience was globally known as it faced about $30 billion economic losses, with one-third country submerged. This magnitude of disaster should have been a wake-up call to the world but still emissions were rising and support to vulnerable nations to respond to the climate disasters was needed, he added.
Climate injustice which was a global buzzword had become a reality for the communities in many parts of Pakistan, he said, adding, “Living Indus Initiative was recognized by the UN World Restoration as a flagship programme and it is one of the most ambitious climate adaptation and river restoration projects that aims to restore 30 per cent Indus Basin by 2030.”
Pakistan’s leadership for restoring Indus River should be a source for national pride and a call for international help, Mohamed Yahya said. Pakistan and the region must invest broadly in climate resilience, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and mobilize private sector, he added.
Global Director for Climate Change, World Bank, Valerie Hickey shared the sentiments expressed by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and noted that the world was on the track to reach 3.1 degrees Celsius temperature rise. World Bank co-wrote the Climate and Development Report that showed Pakistan would lose 6.5-9 per cent of its GDP annually by 2050 due to climate change. “Today, Pakistan losses 6 per cent of its GDP due to inefficient urban transportation and it will lose more due to air pollution annually as the economic costs are higher,” she added.
Climate change is everybody’s problem, she said was a myth that needs to be broken as it was the problem of the poor and the World Bank had the job to help Pakistan end poverty. “Pakistan has lifted 48 million people out of the indignity of poverty and climate change is going to stop it. Pakistan cannot achieve its status of upper middle income country by 2047 amid climate change because it is still going to have 30 percent of the country to live in poverty as climate change is a poverty trap and tarpit,” she added.
During the provinces’ perspective, Chief Minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Ali Amin Khan Gandapur informed the participants that KP’s forest area was 37 per cent of the total land of the province that makes around 40-45 percent of the forest cover of Pakistan that sequesters around 50 per cent of the country GHGs as a massive carbon sink. He added that as per the UNDP and World Bank study, around Rs332 billion were required to raise this size of forest and the KP province and its people were protecting these forests to ensure climate resilience of 250 million countrymen.
Since 2017, the KP government spent more than Rs657 billion to improve and increase its forest area, CM KP Ali Amin Gandapur said. He also highlighted that the forest cover of KP was 26 per cent after massive afforestation and conservation efforts which was above international average of 25 per cent. He proposed the federal government to allocate 10 per cent of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award allocation for forestation as India did to support provinces in preserving and increasing forests that not only protect and enhance green cover but rather generate thousands of livelihood opportunities for the communities.
During the session Climate Justice, UNDP Resident Representative, Samuel Rizk said Pakistan’s climate commitments, climate diplomacy on loss and damage fund was commendable that made the country emerge as the voice for many countries lacking voice at the global climate forum. The critical role of legal and institutional systems for climate justice could not be overstated, he added.
Senior Puisne Judge Supreme Court of Pakistan, Mansoor Ali Shah his keynote address said climate change was a present and accelerating crisis for the global south nations including Pakistan that emit the least but bear the maximum burden of climate disasters.
In Pakistan, he said floods and climate catastrophes like 2022 floods created havoc displacing 33 million people and incurred $30 billion damages whereas glacial melt and water crisis was growing as glaciers in Hindukush Himalaya region were melting at an alarming rates threatening Indus River system, the lifeline of the country’s agriculture pushing the country towards severe water scarcity. Global South faced a dual injustice as first it bears disproportionate burden of climate impacts and then the structural barriers limit their ability to respond effectively, he underlined.
While presenting his nine pillars for Climate Justice, the Senior Puisne Judge delineated an elaborate framework for climate justice. He said the nine pillars hinged upon a strong focus on climate adaptation and loss and damage ensuring that vulnerable communities were not left to bear the burden for what they have not done.
He added that the nine pillars also include a robust and well informed and independent judiciary along with the climate finance readily available including innovative mechanisms like Islamic climate finance to support sustainable solutions, effective systems in place to access climate finance cutting through bureaucratic hurdles, finance nature approach, understanding and learning climate science to guide decision making and ensuring policies evidence-based and future proof, strengthening of climate diplomacy between countries of the global south, forging alliances to collectively demand fairer financial commitments and technological support.
Climate accountability mechanisms should be established to prevent mismanagement to ensure that every dollar that flows in serves the communities and ecosystems that needed the most and lastly, climate courts dispute settlement and global climate court were much needed, he said.
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