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Despite several inherent flaws, the global community seems to be acknowledging Pakistan’s efforts against the coronavirus pandemic. The Davos-based World Economic Forum held a County Strategic Dialogue on Pakistan and hailed the efforts of the prime minister on climate change.
The prime minister has called for an urgent need for simultaneously raising ambition for climate action and also building resilience and adapting to the inescapable impacts of climate change. Terming climate change a “defining global challenge” of our time, he said it has a far-reaching economic, social, and political impact which poses a clear threat to humanity. While no country is immune, developing countries will disproportionately be affected by the negative impacts of climate change.
Pakistan is the fifth most climate-impacted country in the world. It lies at the crossroads of melting glaciers, shifting monsoon seasons and disaster activity triggered by climate change. Developing countries like Pakistan should be supported with climate finance, technology and capacity building which requires massive funds of $100 billion per year. This has not implemented as the world has not united to take action against climate change.
Despite not contributing significantly to greenhouse emissions, Pakistan is vulnerable to climate change. Climate adaptation measures require $7-14 billion per year. With a struggling economy, Pakistan is unable to take such measures and is instead investing in nature-based solutions. The ’10 Billion Tree Tsunami’ project is one such initiative to increase forest cover and deliver multiple dividends.
US President Trump withdrew from the landmark Paris Agreement and scaled back progress to appease the fossil fuel industry. Joe Biden has vowed to return back on his first day in office and has appointed John Kerry as the country’s first adviser on climate change. The former secretary of state will have to use his diplomatic skills to convince world leaders that US is now taking climate change seriously.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a severe economic recession and impacted developing countries. We need to accelerate global efforts for climate action to develop and implement ambitious solutions. Political and business leaders need to collaborate and develop solutions to transition to a low-carbon, climate-resistant economy. We have already seen the adverse effects and now need to take climate action.
