PR No. 99 Islamabad: December 14, 2018

Pakistan pledges to enhance action on Climate Change today, while addressing the world leaders at the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change, the Advisor to the Prime Minister, Malik Amin Aslam shared government’s vision towards a cleaner, greener and sustainable future for Pakistan. The Annual Ministerial Conference is being held in Katowice, Poland. Highlighting Pakistan’s extreme vulnerability to climate change, the Advisor said, “for Pakistan, climate change is neither fake news nor convoluted conspiracy - it is a stark reality.” He explained, “It stares us in the face everyday as we are forced to cope with recurring super floods, unpredicted droughts, chaotic heat waves, melting glaciers, threatening glacial outbursts as well as rapidly shifting weather patterns.” The Advisor outlined the range of actions that the new government in Pakistan is taking to address the adverse impacts of climate change. “Pakistan is willing to think differently about the future, develop along a different pathway and become an “enabler” of the new transition economy’, he said. Highlighting the success of the “Billion Tree Tsunami” initiative, the Advisor shared the launching of the nationwide “10 Billion Tree Tsunami” project in Pakistan. He reiterated the government’s intention to capitalize on the indigenous wind, solar and hydro energy potential as well as the utilization of the nuclear energy. “More than 365 small run-of-the- river hydro projects have been set up in the north providing access to off-grid and affordable zero carbon electricity”, the Advisor said. In the transport sector, he informed that Pakistan has finalized a multi-million dollar “zero emission” bus metro system for the city of Karachi operating on cattle waste generated biogas, with the catalytic financing from the Green Climate Fund. He also shared the details of “Clean and Green Pakistan” and “Recharge Pakistan” initiatives. These actions were in addition to what Pakistan had pledged as part of its contributions to Paris Agreement on climate change, finalized in December 2015, he emphasized. The Advisor called also for the finalization of guidelines for the implementation of Paris Agreement underpinned by the principles of the equity, transparency and differentiated responsibilities for the developed and the developing countries to address the impacts of Climate Change. He also emphasized that availability of international climate finance must correspond to the needs of the developing countries for further enhancing action on climate change. He assured Pakistan’s firm commitment and continued engagement with the international efforts to address climate change.Malik Amin Aslam, Advisor to PM on Climate Change addressing the World leader at the Ministerial Conference on Climate Change COP24-KATOWICE , Poland on 13-12-2018 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

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