Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan
delivered country statement at high-level segment of Conference of Parties 23
being held in Bonn Germany. First he congratulated the Government and people of
Fiji for assuming the presidency of this COP and conveyed his appreciation to
the Government of Germany for their support in hosting this conference.
He then highlighted
that the recent climate disasters across the globe, sadly, are a stark reminder
of the impact of climate induced natural disasters on lives and livelihoods of
people. The negative effects of climate change not only undermine
socio-economic development, they also reverse the gains made over decades,
pushing people back to poverty, hunger and disease. He further said although
Pakistan’s contribution to global warming is minimal, yet we face huge impact
of changes in global climate. He also
emphasized that several scientific studies categorize Pakistan as extremely
vulnerable. Recurrent floods, heat waves, cyclones, drought, desertification,
glacial-melt and sea level rise are some of our biggest challenges. He also
told the participants that the threats of climate related challenges have
far-reaching impact on the government’s efforts to reduce poverty, enhance food
security, improve health care, and improve access to energy. Nationally, we are
already incurring 8% of our budgetary resources to address Climate Change,
creating extreme pressures on our economy.
He also declared
that given our Climate Change challenges, adaptation and climate resilient
development remain our essential priorities. In this context, we have taken
steps both at national and sub-national levels. He also highlighted that we
have adopted a comprehensive approach on disaster risk reduction and management
and structured policies and institutional arrangements for disasters,
mitigation, rescue & relief, recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction.
We are also working correspondingly hard in bringing about mitigation within
the domains of energy, transport, town planning, agriculture etc. Energy sector
remains a high priority and we are working on altering the energy mix; develop
renewable energy sources and increase the share of nuclear and hydel power to
reduce carbon emissions. It was also told by him in his address that in line
with our commitment to support global efforts towards Climate Change, Pakistan
ratified the Paris Climate Agreement last year and also submitted our
instrument of acceptance for Doha Amendment to Kyoto Protocol. Given that we
only have one year to finalize discussions on the implementation of Paris
Agreement, we must move from discussions to work on the ground. We need an
outcome that will foster greater progress and concrete actions towards enabling
environment for implementing climate action in developing countries.
“The Talanoa
Dialogue, with its spirit of inclusiveness and transparency, would be an ideal
and additional platform to unlock further ambition in the Pre 2020 and Post
2020 process. Enhancing ambition, both for the mitigation and for availability
of resources, remains critical”, he said He also said that enhanced action by
developing countries requires enhanced and predictable means of implementation.
Securing such
levels of He also focused on climate financing and said that Climate Finance in
the developing world must continue to remain a key priority area. The trust and
confidence of the process depends on this critical element. Continuous
progress, delivering on commitments and
a bolder approach to financial contributions are necessary. For instance in
Pakistan, the mitigation has very high potential, but obviously with corresponding
resources. Our calculations indicate that US$40 billion would be required to
achieve 20 percent reduction in Green House Gases. Similarly, adaptations to
climate change impacts require additional investments of up to US $14 billion
annually. Again, transparency of support is a very critical aspect and we need
to make sure that effective mechanisms are put in place to ensure this.
He also apprized
the participant that loss and damage needs action including provision of
required finances. A robust Warsaw International Mechanism, with tangible
outputs, is therefore a must as we return to Poland next year.
He concluded by
saying that climate does not know borders, political systems or cultural
diversity – it is a common threat and a common challenge. We all must act and
act collectively and urgently, work together and fulfill our commitments to
each other as agreed in the process. Pakistan, on its part, is ready to make
its contribution. The Conference of Parties 23 is attended by 117 ministers from
different countries, 25 head of delegations and 196 countries.
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