ISLAMABAD, Jul 6 (APP): Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday said Pakistan sought a transformative global reset at the 28th conference of the parties meeting (COP-28) to be held in Dubai.
“Developing countries like Pakistan need a global re-set of the financial system to meet their growing climate resilience needs. I am encouraged to see that the COP28 Presidency is looking towards “leaving no one behind” as we go into a crucial Global Stocktake at the end of the year. Under the leadership of the incoming president, Sultan Al Jaber, there is an opportunity to not just shift the wall of distrust that has been built around such negotiations but also to bridge the gap between the Global North and the South. Actions at this particular COP are going to signal crucial bend in the path to our collective futures, and to try more realistically to build common ground, and invest in new thinking as well as tools to shift the needle on global goals that are drifting further and further away from meeting Paris goals,” stated Senator Sherry Rehman, Federal Minister for Climate Change & Environmental Coordination during a high-level meeting with a delegation led by Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-designate of COP28 and UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology at the Climate Ministry, a news release said.
Minister Al Jaber expressed gratitude to Minister Rehman for her invitation to visit Pakistan and acknowledged Pakistan’s leadership in representing the Global South during COP27, noting the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund, which enhanced the vulnerable countries’ stake in climate negotiation processes. He anticipated direct engagement and continuous support from Pakistan as the UAE prepares for COP28, highlighting that Pakistan is not just a great friend of the UAE, but also a likeminded partner.
Highlighting the Presidency’s vision for COP28, Minister Al Jaber emphasized the importance of providing an enabling environment and ample space during the Global Stocktake to steer the world back on the right track. He pledged to introduce practical, pragmatic, and results-driven actions that encompass mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and finance. The focus on finance was particularly emphasized, aiming to ensure its availability, accessibility, and affordability, especially for countries that require it. Additionally, he stressed the need to attract and incentivize private capital on a large scale, as he felt substantial capital is essential for effectively addressing the climate change challenge. He emphasized the urgency for a transformative approach, not just reformation, of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and International Financial Institutions (IFIs), to meet the immense scale of the required funding.
Minister Rehman, while expressing appreciation for the vision of the COP28 Presidency, highlighted Pakistan’s objective of seeking a global reset at the upcoming COP in the UAE. She emphasized the importance of turbocharging the momentum on existing and new goals that help bridge the gap between action and ambition, with specific priorities aimed at reducing the growing gaps in capacity between the Global North and South. She underscored that climate change should not be a death sentence for those in the arc of extreme climate vulnerability. Furthermore, the Minister reiterated Pakistan’s intention to pursue a global reset in financial thinking, with the aim of revamping the financial architecture, raising of finances and ways in which joint goals can be pursued more effectively. She emphasized the need for an exponential broadening of the climate finance pool by bringing the private sector to the table that can support in meeting the objectives set forth.
Bringing the delegation’s attention to Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to accelerated climate impacts, Minister Rehman stated that Pakistan has endured a relentless series of natural calamities, ranging from forest fires and heatwaves to unforgiving droughts. “The melting glaciers have triggered riverine floods, while the catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Floods have wreaked havoc, ruthlessly swept away bridges and left behind a trail of destruction and despair. This culminated into a record-breaking catastrophic flood that submerged one-third of the country, impacting 33 million people,” she said.
She further emphasized the alarming surge in heatwaves and temperatures observed in 2023, coupled with torrential rains that have triggered floods in the northern regions. Cyclone Biparjoy, the longest-surviving cyclone in the Arabian Sea, has further affected parts of Sindh already reeling from the devastating super flood of 2022, pushing communities into a veritable “recovery trap”.
The Minister highlighted the numerous initiatives the Government had undertaken in tackling climate stress, including the Green Pakistan Programme, Living Indus Initiative, National Adaptation Plan, GLOF-II, National Clean Air Policy, National Hazardous Waste Management Policy, Single-Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations 2023, and the upcoming Carbon Market framework. She also pointed towards the critical gap in resources for adaptation and mitigation, identified by multilateral agencies as amounting to US$348 billion or 10.7 percent of cumulative GDP by 2030. Despite this, Pakistan is committed to a green energy transition, whereby it will transfer 60% of its energy needs to renewables by 2030 and reduce its projected emissions by 50% reduction until 2030, she stated.
Minister Rehman warmly welcomed the UAE’s engagement and expressed appreciation for their interest in cooperating with Pakistan on renewable energy initiatives. She highlighted that the Government of Pakistan is actively involved in transitioning the country towards the renewable energy sector and is seeking partnerships in the Alternative and Renewable Energy sector. She highlighted that the government has introduced a comprehensive 10-year plan to generate 10,000 megawatts of electricity through solar and wind energy by the year 2031. This ambitious plan reflects Pakistan’s commitment to harnessing the potential of renewable energy sources and contributing to a sustainable and greener future.