Daily Times

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCCC) is all set to represent Pakistan through its delegation to be led by Caretaker Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Ahmed Irfan Aslam at the international climate summit (COP28) to be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12 and would sensitize the world on climate adaptation significance and its climate resilience-related projects.

MoCCC, Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah in a pre-COP media briefing informed the environmental journalists about the preparations of the Ministry vis-à-vis the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP-28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Setting the background for the journalists, Shah mentioned that during the previous COP-27 meeting held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the country played a major role in bringing global agreement on Loss and Damage Fund due to its position as G-77 plus China chairmanship and floods in 2022.

The current, COP-28 conference would focus five key agendas mainly Loss and Damage Fund architecture and its operationalization, first Global Stock Take (GST) report, mitigation work program, global goal on adaptation and climate finance (new collective quantified goal), he added.

The secretary informed that the first effort was to create the fund as an interim fund and then after three years it would made a standalone fund, whereas its criteria to extend climate finance should focus on developing countries.

“However, the rich developed countries want the fund to be focused on small island developing states (SIDs) and least developed countries, but Pakistan argues that developing countries should also be part of it,” Asif Hyder Shah said.

He further mentioned that it would be the first ever GST report which would review the eight years’ performance after Paris Agreement as the reports indicated that the world was not on the right track due to exacerbating climate crisis and carbon emissions.

He added that Pakistan had no liability of it due to its miniscule carbon emissions, whereas the major greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) emitters would have to revise their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and net zero emissions targets.

“Adaptation is very important for countries like Pakistan. It is important to understand that mitigation is reduction in emissions and adaptation is preparing for disasters through capacity build up,” the secretary said.

Climate finance, he said was so far focusing on mitigation but Pakistan also wanted to focus adaptation.

“The slogan of Pakistan for this year is ‘Build Resilience Together’, whereas previously it was ‘What Happens in Pakistan Will Not Stay In Pakistan,” he added.

“Pakistan will sensitize the world that adaptation is equally important as mitigation whereas the Annexed-I countries have given $1 billion target for global climate finance but Pakistan will take its position to scale up this target and it should be more than that,” he said.

Commenting the pavilion of Pakistan at COP-28 Expo, he said the ministry would set up a pavilion while maintaining austerity and we had panel discussions on critical issues starting from Living Indus and Recharge Pakistan and showcasing of climate resilience building projects.

On reporting and communication of COP activities, the secretary briefed that timely and perpetual information sharing mechanism was crucial and the ministry was establishing a COP cell and a communication cell dedicated to share correct information related to the global climate conference engagements of the country delegation.

Responding to media queries, the secretary said to disseminate information, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was the mainstay of the Ministry whereas this time the NDRMF web-portal would share realtime data of COP activities.

“Dr Adil Najum will be part of Living Indus Initiative dialogue to be held on December 2nd and it will be the first ever event to be hosted by Dr Adil Najum, a world renowned climate and global studies expert,” he added.

He clarified the mediapersons that the COP agenda was rigid and strictly restricted to global climate issues, whereas during the leaders’ summit plenary the countries give statement which would be participated by 136 heads of states.

“Globally, the adaptation finance of $34 billion has been diverted from the total pledged climate fund of $100 billion which is doubled for mitigation. Pakistan’s adaptation alone needs $120 billion by 2030 which will not come from COP but through bigger plan and efforts to be stemmed from the national level,” he said.

Shah mentioned that the COP forum did not discuss individual countries but rather debates broader rules and frameworks. On the COP pavilion of Pakistan, he said the pavilion shape had been changed over time and the countries with more funding set it in line with their priorities which was mostly used for discussions. “Not a single penny has been taken from the Government of Pakistan for establishing the COP pavilion and it is being supported by the donors and other,” he said.