Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah
Khan addressed the side event on
“Asia-Pacific Climate Action: Making finance flows consistent with a pathway
towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development for the
implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda” during Conference of
Parties 23 going on in Bonn Germany.
He highlighted that It makes me worry when I look at the
situation and the changing climate of the world. Climate change is a global
challenge, having no distinction or respect for boundaries or regions. This
forces us to realize that emissions anywhere affect people everywhere. He
further added that it is encouraging that we are having events like this and
talking about the finance flows consistent towards low greenhouse gas emission
and climate resilient development for the implementation of Paris Agreement and
the 2030 Agenda. As an implementation partner of the Paris Agreement and having
adopted Sustainable development goals as our country goals, special focus is given
to climate change. The sustainable development goal 13, climate action says it
all: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. He also told
the audience that coming from a country, which only contributes less than 1% of
the global emissions while being one of the top ten countries most vulnerable
to the effects of climate change, we cannot afford the luxury of just
discussing this topic and therefore, have to take drastic steps towards our
climate resilient infrastructure development.
He also highlighted that the international debate on
climate change and sustainable economic development as well as the frequent and
devastating natural disasters, which have caused human tragedies and tremendous
losses to the economy, has put environmental protection on the top of the
agenda. In Pakistan, the Federal Government has established a Ministry of
Climate Change, which was instrumental in formulating National Climate Change
Policy in 2012. The provinces have also enacted their own environmental
protection laws in line with the Federal Environmental Protection Act, 1997
that provides for protection, conservation, rehabilitation. And improvement of the environment, prevention and
control of pollution and promotion of sustainable development. At the country
level we are making all possible steps towards climate resilient development.
The State Bank of Pakistan has introduced Green Banking thus, acknowledging the
responsibility of the financial sector in supporting policy initiatives for
transforming a country’s economy towards a low carbon and climate resilient
economy. Green Banking is a paradigm shift from business as usual approach and
has profound implications for strategic focus, financing, investment portfolio
assessments etc. The national level and to the extent possible, be in it
policy, banking guidelines, or development projects. The other speakers were
Fiji Minister for environment, Executive Director Green
Climate Fund, Asian Development Bank Vice President, Senator of Philippines.
******
