Daily Times

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental treaty negotiated at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992, then enforced on 21 March 1994. The UNFCCC objective is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate systems. All member states of UNFCCC are known as conference of parties.

The parties to the convention meet annually from 1995 in Conferences of the Parties (COP) to assess progress in dealing with climate change. The most historical outcome of these climate change conferences is the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.

The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, on 11 December 1997 and entered into force on 16 February 2005. The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol was adopted at COP 7 in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 2001, and are referred to as the ‘Marrakesh Accords.’ Its first commitment period started in 2008 and ended in 2012. During the first commitment period, 37 industrialised countries and the European Community committed to reduce Green House Gas emissions to an average of five percent against 1990 levels. During the second commitment period, Parties committed to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18 percent below 1990 levels in the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020.

The second historic event in the history of Climate Change negotiations is the Paris Agreement during COP (21), 2015. The tag line of Paris agreement is “Common but differentiated responsibilities”. This mean that every country has a responsibility to reduce carbon emissions but some countries have more responsibility according to their emission levels. In this agreement, countries agreed to keep world temperature rise at 1.5oC at pre industrial level. They also agreed to establish Green Climate Fund to support developing countries in mitigation and adaptation. The COP (22) negotiations held in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2016 and resulted in the following plan of actions.

Parties seta rapid deadline of 2018 to complete the rulebook for operationalising the Paris Agreement to ensure confidence and cooperation. They also set Progress across key areas of climate action, including climate finance, adaptation, capacity building, technology and gender-responsiveness. They also developed a Roadmap for climate finance: formulated and discussed how to get to the $ 100 billion mark. Adaptation Fund was able to survive despite extensive resistance from some developed parties.

Pakistan requires $40 billion by 2030 for mitigation measures to reduce its expected emissions of greenhouse gases by 20 percent, and up to $14 billion annually to adapt to climate change impacts

Now COP (23) is going to be held in Bonn, Germany from 6th November 2017 to 17th November 2017 to review further progress on Paris Agreement, matters related to the development and transfer of technology, capacity building; and matters related to finance. The parties will also discuss impacts of implementation process of Paris Agreement due to withdrawal of US from Paris Agreement

It is important to mention that Pakistan has made remarkable achievements in dealing with Climate Change since it ratified the Paris agreement. On 19th February 2016, the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously passed a Resolution adopting the 2030 Agenda as the National Development Agenda. Pakistan submitted its well-researched Intended Nationally Determined Contribution Report to United Nations Climate Change Secretariat. This report mentions that Pakistan requires 40 billion by 2030 for mitigation measures to reduce our expected greenhouse gases emissions by 20 percent and up to $14 billion annually to adapt to climate change impacts depending on access to international funding.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan launched Green Pakistan project to plant 100 million trees in five years. Pakistan has completed and initiating new renewable energy projects in Pakistan that includes Solar Power and Hydro power Projects. It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has installed the world’s largest Solar Power Project of 1000 MW in Quaid-i-Azam Solar Park.

Pakistani Parliament is first Parliament in the world that has transferred to solar power. National Assembly of Pakistan has passed the Climate Change Act. Under Climate Change Authority, Council and fund will be established. Pakistan Climate Change Council will be chaired by the Prime Minister and will include the Chief Ministers, concerned Federal Ministers, Provincial Environment Ministers, Chief Secretaries of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and up to 30 other persons of which 20 shall be non-officials, such as representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry and non-governmental organisations, scientists, researchers, technical experts and educationists. Pakistan is among the few countries who have a separate Climate Change Ministry and succeeded in establishing the Climate Change Authority. Pakistan has also formulated a new Forest Policy to deal with emerging needs. The Ministry of Climate Change along Government of Balochistan declared Astola Island the First Marine Protected Area of Pakistan.

The journey of Pakistan from COP (21) to COP (23) is remarkable, and shows its commitment to implement Paris agreement though its contribution in Green House Gases is only 0.08 percent.

The writer is based in Islamabad and works on environmental issues. She can be reached at zilehuma_1@hotmail.com