ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, since last year, is in a “fight to prevent the vulnerable from succumbing to the burdens of both accumulated debt and the losses inflicted by the climate stress,” Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said on Tuesday.

“In these circumstances, vulnerability can be a death sentence for those living in the arcs of vulnerability. Climate change is not just a threat multiplier but an existential threat, and it necessitates the collective efforts of everyone to curb emissions and mitigate the impacts,” the minister said, speaking virtually at the Austrian World Summit 2023, during a panel discussion, titled “We Have the Power to Reach Our Climate Targets”.

On the impact of climate change in Pakistan, she said, “We are in a race against time, a race for survival. It’s transforming our life choices: the way we produce, manufacture, and grow, as well as, how we consume anything as it has a significant impact on our future. Protecting our people has emerged as an immediate priority, particularly as we witnessed nearly one-third of our country submerged underwater.”

The minister said Pakistan is “literally the poster child of climate stress and the mega-floods of 2022 have shifted our focus towards prioritising adaptation. It is crucial for vulnerable countries to adapt to the ever-increasing unpredictability and exogenous shocks caused by climate change.” Rehman said the international community must allocate the necessary level of climate financing and adaptation funding to rebuild communities in the climate vulnerable countries and ensure their resilience.

The minister said that unlocking climate finance was crucial for building resilience in countries vulnerable to climate change “The path ahead is clear and straightforward: climate finance must be affordable, agile, and easily accessible in times of disaster.

We need a clear understanding of the loss and damage fund, and the adaptation fund at the global level.” Unfortunately, she said, the adaptation fund, despite its existence for years, has been underfunded and ineffective.

We must ensure that the loss and damage fund, which restored trust in the multilateral process of climate change conferences, does not become a ghost fund, according to Rehman.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023