Climate vulnerability

While addressing a press conference at Islamabad on February, 16, 2020, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated that in the last decade, Pakistan has lost some 10,000 lives to climate related disasters. Being cognizant of the situation, Pakistan has no option but to fight climate change through effective mitigation and adaptation measures to save its future generations from the dire consequences. It merits that Pakistan launched its Ecosystem Restoration Fund (ESRF) at the side event of COP-25 along with development partners. Also, the country has a clear five-point agenda for climate change mitigation including planting 10 billion trees, transforming transport into electric vehicles, 30 percent clean energy transformation target by 2030, materialising nature-based solutions, making Pakistan plastic-bag free country and recharging Pakistan’s programme to tackle floods. It is to be added that international mega talks on climate change have remained inconclusive due to lack of resolve of the international community. However, Pakistan proves yet again its resolve to remain committed to the climate agenda.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar