ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday delivered an address at the COP28 Pakistan Pavilion in Dubai, urging immediate action and accountability from developed nations to address the challenge of climate change.

According to a statement issued here, addressing the event, Senator Rehman said, there are two toxins at the heart of the climate crisis: one is inaction, and the other is injustice.

Titled Climate Justice: New Narrative of Hope, Resilience, and Security, the session was also attended by Supreme Court judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Lahore High Court judge Justice Jawad Hassan and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen.

The inaction of major polluters, Senator Rehman explained, has a clear impact on the lives of people around the world, particularly those in vulnerable communities.

Rehman said that the Paris Agreement was meant to address both inaction and injustice. She questioned whether enough progress had been made since then.

Where are we today at COP28? The bumper sticker is leave no one behind. Well, right now, according to the synthesis report of the IPCC, we are leaving half the world behind already, she said.

She characterised COP28 as a historic opportunity, stressing the need to seize this moment to save not just the planet, but half the world right now.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023