The UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP 25, was held in Madrid amid concerns that even collective efforts were not working to save the planet from global warming. One of the main objectives of the conference was to give a final touch to the Paris Agreement, most importantly its Article 6.

Representatives from around 200 countries hoped to make progress on key items on the agenda, especially Article 6 and carbon mechanisms instruments. Every participating country aimed to add to their ambitions to make new climate change mechanisms and nationally determined goals. Besides this, COP 25 also had to advance work on deforestation, indigenous people, cities, gender equality to help them achieve full operationalisation of the Paris Agreement.

Apparently, the summit concluded without achieving much after the leaders failed to strike a deal that would bring the global temperatures below 1.5 C of pre-industrial level. Governments are not willing to take action to make up for the time wasted. Given their failure to achieve any significant results, they have their plate full for the coming decade.

Other major objectives of the climate conference were to bring more nations on the same page for zero emissions by 2050, including how global carbon markets can be used to help countries reduce their emissions. However, the target of achieving zero emissions have not been taken up seriously by big polluters like the US, India and China.

Sixty five nations, including the EU and some developing countries have vowed to implement the zero emission agenda but this only accounts for 37 percent of the global emissions.

The attempts to reach an agreement on a global financial target to enable the developing countries plan their climate-harming projects were consistently thwarted by the US. The participating countries showed a lack of understanding to develop a robust market arrangement for carbon credits, which is manifest from an unsuccessful attempt at achieving climate objectives.

We all know about the sensation and enthusiasm we had for deciding about the location and then relocation of the COP 25. This relocation of the COP 25 to Madrid posed many challenges to the civil society, youth activists and organisations around the world.

Furthermore, according to the Climate Tracker, an organisation that connects young environment journalists, this relocation also posed difficulties for young people from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

This is in view of the fact that youth around the world are taking up the climate challenge very seriously and want to be included in the decision-making process.

For instance, Greta Thunberg, the youth climate activist was the youngest Time magazine Person of the Year. While talking to world leaders at COP 25, she said, “if you choose to fail us, I say we will never forgive you.” She added that she has been told that she should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. She asked the assembled leadership as to why they had stolen her dreams and her childhood with their empty words and that they were playing with the youth’s future in their obsession for economic growth.

It is evident from worldwide protests that the phenomenon of climate change is more seriously owned and has been articulated because people are suffering and dying, the entire ecosystem is collapsing and humanity faces the prospect of mass extinction.

There is a connection between human rights and climate change. Climate change actually represents a human rights crisis as its persistence tends to deprive people of their right to a healthy and pollution-free future. There is enough empirical evidence to prove that climate-induced disasters give rise to large-scale displacements, disease outbreaks, and economic and health crises.

I believe that developing countries like Pakistan, which are vulnerable to climate change consequences due to the doings of others, are doing their best. While giving the country statement at COP 25, Federal Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam said, “Let us not have any illusions. We, the political shapers of this situation, are collectively leading the change. While nature may be resilient, it is no longer silent. This battle against nature is not a battle that can be won or should be won. In fact, a collective retreat is needed to take nature on board and allow its space to bounce back before we hit its threshold of irreversibility.”

As party to the agreement, Pakistan supports the Paris Consensus. We are the third most vulnerable nation in terms of the economic loss caused by climate change. Having said that, Pakistanis are equally committed to accelerating their action plan for climate change. However, this is not easy for us as it would require a paradigm shift in our political and economic priorities.

Following the implementation of billion-tree project and the recent launch of a 10 billion-tree tsunami, the government has now prioritised the green energy agenda, giving it the kind of policy and political focus that it deserves.

The recently adopted electric vehicle policy, the first of its kind in the country’s history, aims to shift 30 percent of the vehicles to electric traction by 2030. Pakistan is now launching an ecosystem restoration fund, which would be an independent and transparent financial mechanism aimed at facilitating Pakistan’s transition towards low-carbon ecologically-balanced development.

Pakistan managed to make an impact in Madrid without spending a lot of money. The upcoming Glasgow moot seems to be an exciting opportunity to further showcase our resolve to score a point against climate change. Pakistan was able to get an entry into arrangements, such as Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board, Compliance Committee under the Paris Agreement, Adaptation Fund Board and Warsaw International Mechanism. Pakistan’s election as vice president for the next COP also presents another opportunity to engage the international community as part of her global commitment to fight climate change.

COP25 reiterated the imperative of renewing commitments to new carbon cuttings and bridging the gap between the current emission levels and the Paris Treaty’s goal of bringing down temperature by two degrees. However, this noble cause is likely to be affected by the absence of uniform goals on the part of member countries.

Politics of climate change defies common sense solutions to global warming and climate disaster as developed countries that happen to be the largest emitters of carbon, refuse to be moved by scientific evidence and the reality, a prospect that carries horrible consequences if not checked.