The year 2024 is recorded to be the hottest in history. This underscores the importance of climate actions and regulation of certain activities impacting climate change. The COP ’29, also known as the UN Climate Change Conference, was organized in Baku, Azerbaijan from 11-22 November 2024. COP ’29 concluded several sessions, such as the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 19), the Paris Agreement (CMA 6), the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61), and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 61). In this context, the prospects analyzed present a multifarious standpoint.
First, a new collective quantified goal (NCQG) on climate finance agreed to increase climate financing up to USD 1.3 trillion per year till 2035, providing developing countries with USD 300 billion every year. This not only tripled the climate finance but also called on the public and private resources, particularly from the developed world, to address the loss and damage from climate and deal with the climate-vulnerable states like the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS). Second, considering articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, the parties asserted the mitigation of carbon emissions and operationalization of environmental safeguards. Third, the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) accentuated the gender roles, local communities, and indigenous people’s platform to monitor the overall progress of climate actions. Lastly, the parties to the conference pointed up the global efforts to triple the use of renewable energy resources, energy efficiency and segueing from fossil fuels to achieve a net zero by 2050.
At the World Leaders Climate Action Summit during COP’29, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presented Pakistan’s stance and called for global support in response to climate change. He emphasized climate justice and urged the parties to submit to materialize the climate finances. Therefore, Pakistan’s delegation to COP ’29 revealed the National Climate Finance Strategy (NCFS). It pointed out the whole-of-economy approach and sought to leverage climate change by reducing the emissions to 50%, leveraging 60% of clean energy resources, and shifting 30% of vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030.
Pakistan is a country that is not actively responsible for carbon emissions, such as less than 1%. According to the World Resource Institute’s 2018 report, it is the 18th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. However, it is gravely facing the effects of climate change, such as being ranked the 8th most climate-vulnerable country on the Global Climate Risk Index in the form of droughts, floods, heatwaves, and air pollution, compromising its agriculture sector and food security. It is a cause of concern for the agrarian economy of Pakistan that our exports, such as mangoes by 25% and oranges by 35%, are declining, and a decline of 10% in wheat and 20% in rice yields is expected by the end of this century due to extreme weather conditions. This underscores the vitality of climate-smart agriculture.
Pakistan has numerous climate change policies and plans. For instance, the National Climate Change Policy (2021), Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 2021), National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2023), and the Upscaled Green Pakistan Programme. Moreover, various domestic initiatives, including the National Hazardous Waste Management Policy, 2022; Recharge Pakistan; Green BRT Karachi; climate-resilient agriculture; the Billion Tree Tsunami; and global collaboration with UNDP for threats of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in northern Pakistan, all powered by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), are also implemented. In addition, global collaborations, including international climate finance, through key initiatives such as the National Climate Finance Strategy, Green Taxonomy, Carbon Markets Policy, the SCO Environmental Protection Agreement, and participation in the SCO Green Belt Programme (2024-2026), are crucial. More cooperation with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), UNICEF, Aga Khan University, and Acumen Fund is keeping Pakistan’s climate change policies on track.
However, the biggest challenge, undoubtedly, is weak governance. Moreover, crippled economic infrastructure is gravely affecting the infrastructure, agriculture, and food security. Likewise, lack of political support, administrative willingness, absence of public-private partnership, ignorance of ground realities, lack of evidence-based data in policy formulation, and community engagement further hindered the climate change policy implementation. Pakistan must incentivize these policies to combat climate change through COP’s global platform. For that purpose, three steps are highlighted to improve Pakistan’s performance.
First, Pakistan can pursue global climate finance mechanisms and collect loss and damage funds to mitigate and adapt to climate change’s devastation. But most importantly, transparency in acquiring and managing those funds is crucial. For that purpose, Pakistan needs to revisit its NDCs with inclusive and practical targets.
Second, the energy sector should shift towards renewable energy technology, which can also help in building economic opportunities in Pakistan. The country should build climate-resilient infrastructure and must focus on water resource management and agriculture. Therefore, the regional conflict resolution with India is also necessary to collaborate with the regional partner for disaster and water resource management.
Third, local communities’ education, awareness, and engagement in climate actions at domestic and international levels can make the nation climate resilient. Public-private partnerships are also inevitable. Businesses should be encouraged to invest in green technologies and sustainable agricultural practices. Meanwhile, the state should prioritize the green economy, urban development policies, and food security.
To sum up, Pakistan’s domestic political and economic crisis makes it more vulnerable to climate change. absence of public-private partnership. The strategy requires trillions of climate funds, a conducive environment, global support, transparency of the Climate Finance Portal, and resilience of Pakistan.