ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to solution-oriented deliberations at this year’s COP28 climate conference in Dubai, with a particular focus on addressing funding for nations impacted by climate change.
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP28, will take place from November 30 to December 12, 2023, at Expo City, Dubai. Pakistan’s intentions for this conference emphasize the urgency of addressing the impact of climate change.
In August 2022, Pakistan faced unprecedented devastation from torrential monsoon rains, resulting in the most catastrophic floods in its history, claiming approximately 1,700 lives. Over 33 million people were affected, a number nearly equivalent to Canada’s population. The rebuilding process is still underway, encompassing millions of homes, tens of thousands of schools, and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways.
Despite contributing less than one percent of the world’s carbon emissions, Pakistan ranks as the fifth most climate-vulnerable nation, enduring significant human casualties and economic losses totaling $3.8 billion between 1999 and 2018, as per the Global Climate Risk Index.
Jalil Abbas Jilani underscored the disparity between Pakistan’s carbon footprint and its vulnerability to climate change. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to combatting climate change and its ambitious goal to transition 30 percent of its vehicles to electric by 2030.
COP28, taking place in the United Arab Emirates, will feature substantive discussions, including exploring financial support for countries grappling with climate change, as stated by Jilani.
“We hold an optimistic outlook for the COP28 conference and anticipate it will generate constructive outcomes in addressing the global climate crisis,” he expressed.
Pakistan has been grappling with a range of climate change effects, such as shifting weather patterns, rising temperatures, erratic monsoons, and glacier melt in the northern regions, compounded by recurring extreme weather events and natural disasters.
During the second Pakistan Climate Conference organized by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), Finance Minister Dr. Shamshad Akhtar emphasized that Pakistan requires $340 billion between 2023 and 2030 to tackle climate and development challenges, equivalent to 10 percent of cumulative GDP over the same period.
She emphasized the significant challenge of securing funding for climate finance while meeting other development financing needs.
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