Pakistan to push for more climate finance flows at upcoming global climate talks in Baku
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Coordinator on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam, stated that Pakistan, alongside other vulnerable nations, will strongly advocate for affluent polluting countries to fulfill their climate finance commitments. This support is crucial for developing countries to manage worsening climate effects and transition to a low-carbon future through adaptation and mitigation strategies.
“We are finalizing a robust national stance to pursue during the upcoming two-week UN-led global climate negotiations (COP29), which will address several critical topics that align with our priorities and challenges concerning climate change. These include climate finance, adaptation and resilience, loss and damage, and mitigation efforts,” she mentioned while delivering a keynote address at the event titled ‘Pre-COP29 dialogue: Road from Dubai to Baku.’workshop on national climate finance strategy
During the two-week climate discussions starting on November 11, Pakistan will reiterate the urgent need for significant financial support from developed nations to assist its climate adaptation and mitigation initiatives.
She highlighted that Pakistan has consistently advocated for mechanisms to tackle loss and damage due to climate change, especially for nations that are disproportionately impacted despite contributing minimally to global emissions. Consequently, the country’s delegation at COP29 will also demand the fulfillment of prior commitments to enable vulnerable nations to effectively address climate issues.
“I want to emphasize that Pakistan consistently calls for a clear and actionable framework from wealthier countries, which are responsible for global warming, to address the loss and damage arising from the ongoing climate crisis in resource-constrained countries like ours, which have faced severe climate impacts despite having a negligible share in global carbon emissions,” Romina Khurshid Alam asserted.
She also underscored that as a responsible nation, Pakistan is prepared to collaborate with global partners to develop actionable solutions addressing the climate crisis affecting the international community, public infrastructure, and economies.
“We must understand that ‘only together’ can we create a sustainable and resilient future for everyone through enhanced collaborative climate action,” Ms. Alam stressed.
The Prime Minister’s climate advisor indicated that climate action at any level should align with sustainable development and low-carbon objectives, emphasizing the unprecedented importance of rich countries’ roles in providing finances, technology, and expertise.
During the event, Aisha Humera Moriani, Secretary of the Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Ministry, noted that Pakistan, like many other vulnerable nations, is suffering the consequences of the ongoing crisis. She recalled the devastating super floods of 2022, which impacted 33 million people in Pakistan.
“As Pakistan navigates the complexities of climate finance, carbon markets, and resilience-building efforts to address the adverse effects of climate change, it is evident that meaningful progress cannot be achieved without robust collaboration with civil society,” Federal Secretary Ms. Moriani informed the attendees.
She added that as a highly climate-vulnerable country, Pakistan requires around USD 350 billion by 2030 to mount a comprehensive response to the climate crisis. The country aspires to see a New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance established at the upcoming COP29 negotiations.
In her welcoming remarks, Ayesha Khan, Chief Executive of the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), expressed serious concern over wealthy nations’ failure to meet their climate finance promises to vulnerable countries. This has further increased the susceptibility of poorer nations, particularly in Asia, to the negative impacts of climate change.
“The cost of inaction rises with every fraction of temperature increase and with each day of delay in achieving our policy objectives,” she concluded.
