• Expresses dismay that commitments made at previous COPs have yet to materialise
• Says Pakistan is ‘minus one emitter’, needs international support to deliver on climate goals
• Calls for grant-based funding for developing nations in place of loans

BAKU/ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed his dismay at the unmet climate pledges, made during previous summits and asked the global community to honour the promises it made at COP27 (Egypt) and COP28 (Dubai), and support Pakistan with climate financing that does not entail further debt.

In his address to the World Leaders Climate Action Summit at Nizami Hall at COP29, the PM stressed that “without climate justice, there can be no real resilience”, adding that he didn’t want other countries to face what Pakistan faced in 2022.

He further argued that the funds provided to developing countries should be grant-based, instead of loans.

PM Shehbaz said COP29 should make this understanding “loud and clear that we will have to fulfil those financial pledges” made at COP27 and COP28. “And yet, I think, those huge financial commitments have to be materialized,” he noted.

The prime minister said the event was aimed at understanding the “calamities which, unfortunately, some of the countries have already faced and some will if we do not act”.

“I strongly feel that climate finance must be grant-based and not add to the debt burden of vulnerable developing countries,” he said in his speech.

“Ten years ago in Paris, we had failed to stop the rise in emissions and catastrophic global warming, and those pledges in Paris… have yet to see the light of the day.”

He said that as a ‘minus-one emitter’, Pakistan should not brave the impact of emissions released by others, adding that without climate justice there could be no real resilience.

He also underscored that the developing countries would need almost $6.2 trillion by 2030 to partially implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the same “goes for adaptation and loss and damage”.

“My government has taken concrete actions to deliver on its commitment of producing 60 per cent of all energy from green sources and shifting 30pc of our vehicles to EVs (electric vehicles) by the end of this decade,” he said while referring to the NDCs Pakistan submitted to the UN. It may be noted that Pakistan will submit its revised NDCs next year ahead of COP30 in Belem, Brazil.

He also mentioned the national adaptation plan as well as a “national carbon market framework”. He, however, reiterated Pakistan cannot do this without the support of the international community. He said under the leadership of Azerbaijan this COP could transform into ‘finance COP’ by restoring confidence in the pleading process and scaling up climate finance.

He also mentioned $30 billion in damages that the 2022 floods caused to Pakistan which also killed 1,700 people. These floods wiped out entire localities, he said.

Pakistan is a resilient, hardworking and responsible nation. We are fully committed to becoming part of the global climate solutions, he said, adding, “we cannot do it alone. Pakistan needs international support to deliver on its climate ambition”.

Speaking to Dawn at the Pakistan Pavilion, Climate Change Secretary Aisha Moriani said it was very unfair that who have not caused pollution are now suffering the negative impacts, adding that there was “complete apathy” from the developed world, while Pakistan was looking for climate justice.

Zaki Abbas in Baku and Syed Irfan Raza in Islamabad contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2024