Islamabad: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan stressed the need for drastic steps for the development of climate resilient infrastructure. "Coming from a country, which only contributes less than 1% of the global emissions while being one of the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, I must say we cannot afford the luxury of just discussing this topic. We will have to take drastic steps towards the development of climate resilient infrastructure," he told an 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 the Conference of Parties 23 in Bonn, Germany. The minister said climate change was a global challenge having no distinction or respect for boundaries or regions. "This forces us to realise that emissions anywhere affect people everywhere. However, 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," he said. The minister said as an implementation partner of the Paris Agreement and having adopted Sustainable Development Goals as its goals, the country had a special focus on measures against climate change. "The sustainable development goal 13, climate action says it all: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts," he said. The minister said the international debate on climate change and sustainable economic development as well as the frequent and devastating natural disasters, which had caused human tragedies and tremendous losses to the economy, had put environmental protection on the top of the agenda. He said the Pakistani government had established a ministry on 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," he said. The minister said Pakistan was making all possible steps for the climate resilient development. He said the State Bank of Pakistan had introduced Green Banking and thus, acknowledging the responsibility of the financial sector in supporting policy initiatives for transforming the country’s economy towards a low carbon and climate resilient economy.
