Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level committee to review Climate Change Governance and establish Mechanisms to access Climate Funds, adopt necessary legislation, and protocols, and coordinate at the national level. According to the details, the committee will be chaired by the Deputy Chairman Planning Commission comprised of government officials, parliamentarians, representatives from civil society and environmental NGOs, the private sector, research institutes, and experts/advisors with knowledge of specific topics. As said, the Committee will suggest approaches that involve mainstreaming climate considerations across all government organizations and operations, as well as integrating them into the development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will evaluate the effectiveness of existing and proposed institutional mechanisms and will coordinate with the National Climate Change Council (NCCC), SIFC, proposed Climate Change Authority, Climate Change Fund, National Disaster Risk Management Fund, and other key ministries/ departments.
Climate Change has shaped into a grave challenge and a major survival risk in Pakistan. Despite contributing to only 0.9 percent of Global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the South Asian Nation is highly vulnerable to the worst effects of climate change and a regular victim of the serious repercussions of global warming in the contemporary world. Pakistan is highly exposed to global warming and natural disasters because of its geographical location, topography, acute weather conditions, irregular growth, and untidy governance. Historically, Climate change has had significant impacts on Pakistan, particularly in the form of extreme weather events, water scarcity, glacial melt, and periodic heatwaves in the country. The Country faces severe challenges such as low agricultural productivity, increased flooding, droughts, and water and food insecurity that merit urgent attention from the leaders to avert the bulk of economic, monetary, and administrative challenges until they physically threaten the nation in the future. Historically, our nation has been facing climate-induced weather events including earthquakes, floods, landslides, cyclones, etc. that caused significant damage to the country’s infrastructure, economy, and population. Presently, global warming has caused serious survival risks for the South Asian nation, as the 2022 superfloods caused nearly $30 billion in economic losses, while monsoon floods have become a recurrent phenomenon on an annual basis.
Unfortunately, a wide range of domestic issues also regularly contributes to global warming wherein old coal-based energy generation plants, use of old imported vehicles, agricultural waste, traditional brick kilns, encroachment, and rapid urbanization are the major problems that massively contribute to pollution and global warming in the country. At the same time, the absence of proper Urban planning, massive industrialization, and inadequate infrastructure further aggravate the problems relating to global warming. Amid such a scenario, the foundation of a dedicated forum like the Climate Change Council is of utmost importance to promote climate resilience and mitigate the worst impact of global warming in the country. The council will make recommendations to strengthen climate governance, access climate, and carbon finance, and mobilize the private sector to drive the decarbonization of industry, integrate into green value chains, and boost exports in alignment with evolving international regulatory mechanisms such as carbon border adjustments. Meanwhile, the role of media, academia, and research institutions in policy advocacy and formulation will also be very crucial.
To address these challenges, Pakistan’s climate change policy must broaden its scope. It should consider factors like deforestation, unsustainable agricultural practices, urbanization, and industrial emissions. Pakistan must take proactive steps to adapt to climate change and build resilience. Additionally, comprehensive policy reorientation at the national level is essential to mitigate the effects of climate change and promote environment-friendly policies and practices in the country. Hopefully, the Climate Change Council will address climate change issues and work to align all aspects of our national life from industry to agriculture, mining, farming, housing, businesses and academia, social, and civic life with the national climate strategy to achieve 100 percent results in this domains.
