Tackling climate

The year 2025 has brought with it a familiar set of concerns. According to reports, January was the world’s warmest month on record. The global average temperature was 1.75 degrees Celsius higher than in pre-industrial times. For 18 of the last 19 months, the planet has experienced temperatures more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) in its monthly bulletin. Even though a cooling pattern (La Nina) has begun to develop, typically reducing global temperatures, 2024 was still the hottest year on record. This followed a period of intense warming from an El Nino pattern, which had already pushed global temperatures to alarming highs. Clearly, we are not off to a good start. Ideally, nations would be collaborating on strategies to introduce sustainable lifestyles to mitigate the climate crisis. However, our consumption habits remain largely unchanged, unwilling to absorb the necessary sacrifices. In the past, the debate has centred on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but major corporations have made it clear they are not interested in phasing out fossil fuels. These troubling trends signal that countries like Pakistan must find local solutions to this mounting challenge.

At a global climate conference held by one of Pakistan’s private media groups this week, Valerie Hickey, the World Bank director for climate change, highlighted the severe financial gap in combating climate change. She pointed out that most available funds go towards preventing further climate change (mitigation), rather than helping countries cope with its effects (adaptation), which is exactly what Pakistan needs most. Hickey also emphasised that the majority of climate finance flows to developed countries, leaving poor nations, which are disproportionately affected, with minimal support, adding that less than 20 per cent of global climate finance reaches the Global South "where the impacts of climate change are already dire". Pakistan must rethink its climate strategy and decide how to tackle climate change independently.

Some steps are already in progress. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recently introduced a draft ‘green taxonomy’ to encourage environmentally friendly investments. Developed with support from the Ministry of Climate Change and the World Bank, this taxonomy defines what qualifies as a ‘green’ project, guiding investors and financial institutions to direct funds toward both climate change mitigation and adaptation. Instead of relying on the goodwill of developed nations, it’s time for Pakistan to take the lead in cultivating its own homegrown movement against climate change. The first step should be a complete overhaul of the transportation system, introducing more public buses and trains to reduce dependence on fuel-guzzling cars and motorcycles. Similarly, local architects should focus on designs that minimise the need for air conditioning. Above all, tree planting must become a top government priority to replenish the planet's oxygen supply. Pakistan cannot afford to be left behind in this global fight.