Daily Times

That Pakistan languishes in the eye of undiagnosable, unpredictable and unavoidable layers upon layers of the climatic storms has been repeatedly said out loud but our measly contributions in siring the Frankenstein’s monster continue to be ignored. While the state keeps reminding the international community of the substantial cost of climate change, triggered by the industrial greed of the Global North, we are forced to pay upfront, nothing tangible has yet been put in place. Recently, Caretaker Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar sounded the alarm bells, “To address climate-related challenges, Pakistan would require an investment of approximately $340 billion, which is 10 per cent of cumulative GDP.” How on God’s green earth can any country – even one whose finances do not stand on the edge of the wobbly cliff, cough up 10 per cent of its wealth to fight climate change and its hydra-headed challenges is still out for discussion.

There is ample evidence in the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal on Friday, tremors of which spread shockwaves as far as New Delhi, for those who wish to get a clearer picture of the horrors waiting for us. Among the top ten most vulnerable countries on the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan’s exasperation as it struggles for its survival in an unwinnable battle should be discussed in the upcoming COP28 this December.

We cannot allow ourselves the audacity of being sitting ducks, watching the crises dashing towards us, hearing the cries of our people and suffering of our economy as the rest of the world zaps through our agony. Catastrophic floods of last year that inundated one-third of the country, submerging thousands of schools and houses, uprooting millions and drastically affecting the national food security and economic output cannot become a regular feature.

Much has to be done at the international level to build climatic resilience. No ifs ands or buts. But it would be just as devastating to ignore our own responsibilities towards fortifying the front door. Pakistan would have to integrate smart solutions in its infrastructural blueprint as well as industrial policies. There are no two ways about it. *