ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman on Friday said Pakistan was at the forefront of the most impacted countries due to climate change and collective efforts were needed at national and international levels to tackle this challenge.
She was delivering keynote address at the launch of the World Bank Pakistan Country Climate and Development report.
The WB report highlights the country’s vulnerabilities due to climate change and opportunities in shifting its development and policy paradigm to address climate mitigation and adaptation for achieving sustainable development. Sherry said the effects of climate change had a severe impact on Pakistan and termed climate change was rapidly changing its scale almost with every passing year. It requires a serious reset in the climate finance system to tackle the 21st century crisis of environmental degradation, she said. Senator Rehman said climate change and development were common problems of the world, whereas the environment was changing faster than planned. She said that global emissions continued to rise at a massive rate today, adding, “We need collective action as climate change cannot be tackled alone by one country or region.” “Climate change is happening faster than we think. Pakistan accounts for less than one per cent of carbon emissions,” the minister said. The federal ministry, she said, was making climate change policy and giving it to the provinces whereas the provinces should make their own laws in in view of their needs. The government had also launched the National Clean Air Policy, she added.