Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday said that Pakistan was committed to reduction of global emissions with various initiatives already taken including efforts for renewable technologies, energy efficiency, implementation of mass transport systems and expansion of hydro-electricity potential.
“For effective implementation of our national programmes, technology transfer, and capacity building remain key enablers,” he said while speaking at the leaders’ event of the two-week 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) which started in the French capital on Monday.
Over 140 leaders from around the world including US President Barrack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister David Cameron have gathered in Paris for this major UN summit. During the conference, more than 190 nations will attempt to reach a new global deal to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse emissions.
The prime minister said that Pakistan believed that a comprehensive and meaningful climate change agreement must be anchored around the principle of “Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR)”.
“Stemming the tide of climate change is a global challenge that requires collective action. Our responsibilities, however, are not evenly spread,” he remarked. The states with deep carbon footprints and history of large emissions should take the greatest responsibility in redressing the situation, he added.
“We are meeting at a defining juncture; a crossroads that offers both a historic opportunity to act against the threat of Climate Change, and a strong global will to take that course,” he said.
The prime minister said this was all the more important for countries like Pakistan, whose contribution to global warming was minimal, yet it remained one of the most vulnerable to its adverse effects.
He said the agreement should be cognizant of the needs of the developing countries that are pursuing the goals of economic growth and development. He said that the agreement should also be holistic in scope and ambition, by taking a balanced view between mitigation and adaptation aspects.
The prime minister stressed that an effective ‘loss and damage’ mechanism also needed to be incorporated into the agreement.
Sharif said that as the main financial delivering mechanism of the agreement, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) held the potential to provide a powerful stimulus towards low-carbon and carbon-resilient development solutions. “We would also need to ensure transparency in support provided to the developing countries,” he said.
The prime minister said that Pakistan remained committed to the development of a responsive global climate change framework.
He said that having made major strides towards this goal, what was now required was the right mix of flexibility and foresight by all the parties, to secure convergence on all outstanding issues.
“In our deliberations today, we are encouraged by the positive affirmation of support to this objective,” he added.
The prime minister said that Pakistan looked forward to working closely with its global partners towards an agreement, which enjoyed both strong political ownership and broad social acceptability.
