Starting today, we are all set to witness the clash between the world’s elite and small nations over how to tackle the ever-evolving climate crisis – at least for the next few days. Brazil is hosting this year’s UN’s COP30. The location holds importance because the country is home to the world’s most vital ecosystem – the Amazon rainforest, which is badly affected by climatic catastrophes and has suffered record droughts and wildfires. The conference provides Brazil with an opportunity to make a strong case for the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. This projected $125 billion fund will enable governments and local communities to conserve their forests, rather than exploiting them for short-term gains. For Pakistan, too, the conference presents an opportunity to articulate its demands. This year too, Pakistan saw apocalyptic climate events. The harsh and brutal nature of nature’s wrath was evident in Swat when flash floods swept away an entire family. Later, villages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were drowned, leaving death and despair all around. These events should serve as an example for rich nations to understand the gravity of the situation and how their reluctance to fund the loss and damage fund.
At COP29, all countries had agreed on a target of $1.3 trillion to flow to the poor world each year by 2035, to help countries cut emissions and cope with the impact of extreme weather. Developed countries agreed to provide only $300 billion from their own coffers – far too little, climate campaigners said, though a tripling of the $100 billion they currently provide. This led to walkouts and accusations of betrayal. For Pakistan, relying on foreign powers is a risky bet. Although this time around, given the large-scale damage the floods caused, it has become almost essential to reach a consensus for a viable deal, the behaviour of rich nations tells that they are not ready to share the burden of climate-led disasters. Recently, at the summit held by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb called for urgent mobilisation of climate finance, a move that is both timely and necessary. Recent floods have shown that Pakistan’s capacity to respond to climate-led disasters is limited.
Pakistan’s structural flaws are also a reason for this climate crisis. Inefficient energy systems, water mismanagement and urban sprawl continue to erode environmental resilience. In the same event, a banking official suggested a regional climate bank. That extreme weather patterns do not respect borders is a reality, and it is essential for the country to work out a response plan with its neighbours, especially India, which weaponises the Indus Waters Treaty for political gains. At this moment, the country is surrounded by unhappy neighbours, but climate emergencies do not wait for good relations. COP30 could give an opportunity to Pakistani officials to have informal conversations with its neighbours to chalk out a plan to tackle the climate crisis. For us humans, the earth is our only home, and it is time we took the responsibility of its well-being and held nations and businesses responsible for the degeneration accountable.