{"id":56572,"date":"2015-11-27T23:58:39","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T18:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pamirtimes.net\/?p=56572"},"modified":"2016-02-28T18:23:06","modified_gmt":"2016-02-28T13:23:06","slug":"zahid-hamid-vows-to-highlight-pakistans-climate-vulnerability-at-un-led-climate-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pamirtimes.net\/tg\/2015\/11\/27\/zahid-hamid-vows-to-highlight-pakistans-climate-vulnerability-at-un-led-climate-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Zahid Hamid vows to highlight Pakistan\u2019s climate vulnerability at UN-led climate conference"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio<\/strong><\/p>\n

ISLAMABAD, November 27:<\/strong> Federal Minister for Climate Change, Zahid Hamid, on Friday<\/span> pledged to highlight Pakistan\u2019s case of growing vulnerability to climate change-induced disasters and push rich countries for financial and technical support for coping with the extreme weather events and boosting country\u2019s climate resilience.<\/p>\n

\u201cSustainability of Pakistan\u2019s economy is at stake. Because, extreme weather events, particularly flash floods, cyclones, droughts, glacial lake outburst floods, and erratic rainfall patterns, have already badly affected water, agriculture and energy sectors, which are at the heart of the national socio-economic development goals,\u201d he emphasized during his press briefing in the climate change ministry on \u201cGoals and Expectations of 27-member Pakistan Delegation\u2019s Participation in the UN-led Global Climate Conference in Paris, France.<\/p>\n

“During the last 20 years our average annual economic losses due to climate related events have been estimated as US$ 4 billion,” he added.<\/p>\n

The minister highlighted that the most recent Global Climate Risk Index issued by GermanWatch ranks Pakistan among the 10 most climate change-affected countries.<\/p>\n

Briefing about the core goals of the UN-led Paris Climate Change Conference 2015, he told media that the historic event was indeed a defining moment in the history of international climate policy development process. The conference in the shape of the expected \u2018Paris Agreement\u2019 would determine and shape up the contours of the global climate regime with profound economic, social, technological and policy implications and opportunities for countries.<\/p>\n

The two-week long climate moot is beginning\u00a0this year\u00a0from \u00a0November 30<\/span> and will be attended by delegations from around 195 developed and developing countries.<\/p>\n

The climate change minister Zahid Hamid is leading the Pakistani delegation comprising top key government officials from different federal, provincial government departments, representatives of non-governmetnal organisations, educational institutions and private sectors.<\/p>\n

He highlighted that Pakistan\u2019s contribution to global emissions was minuscule \u2013 roughly 0.8% of global GHG emissions. On the basis of per capita GHG emissions, the country stands at 135th in the world.<\/p>\n

“Yet, the country is frequently exposed to climate change-induced extreme weather \u00a0events such as droughts, sea level rise, floods, landslides, recession of glaciers and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF), heatwaves and cyclones,” he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe case for Pakistan\u2019s exposure to the climate change risks and prevailing opportunities would be compellingly presented at the climate change conference,\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n

In the climate change conference, broad focus of the country\u2019s participation in the conference would be on highlighting the country\u2019s vulnerability to the prevailing and future threats of climate change, with particular focus on our political, institutional and policy readiness to address such threats in a pro-active manner and identify the areas, where international financial and technical assistance would be required.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will portray our future economic growth and development objectives and plans as mentioned in Pakistan Vision 2025 and National Climate Change Policy to forcefully accentuate that the country as an economy and the society presents the true and most profound opportunities of interweaving climate finance with cleaner technologies in achieving effective mitigation of emissions in a cost effective manner, particularly, in our energy and industrial sectors. And also to present Pakistan\u2019s potential and resilience of our economy and population in adapting to the threats of climate change,\u201d he elaborated.<\/p>\n

He said that all-out efforts would be taken to strengthen the role and participation of the country in the Warsaw Mechanism for Loss and Damage both institutionally and through other means of influence. Seeing this mechanism is very much important to Pakistan as under this mechanism, the country can claim for funds to recover losses and damages being caused by now increasingly fluent floods, cyclones, paced glacial-melt and shifting, erratic and shrinking rainfall patterns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe overall goals and expectations, the Pakistani\u2019s delegation is heading to Paris climate change conference with does aim to harness the potential benefits from this global climate event of unprecedented importance and highlight the position of Pakistan in a convincing manner and that the country stands with the global community to combat the common menace of the global warming,\u201d The minister told media.<\/p>\n

Zahid Hamid said, \u201cWe are going to Paris with a very positive and open mind to engage in the development of a globally responsive climate governance framework to save the future of earth and the life on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the press conference, the climate change minister called on world leaders, who are converging in Paris next week, to seal a strong agreement at the Paris climate change meeting, adding that transforming current development models was a \u201cpolitical and economic obligation\u201d for averting the biggest possible humanitarian crisis in the human history by limiting climate-altering carbon emissions into atmosphere.<\/p>\n

The minister placed particular stress on the need to adopt low-carbon energy systems and end the \u201cthrow-away culture\u201d that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, major cause of global warming which has made the climatic conditions highly unpredictable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn next two weeks, an important meeting on climate change… it would be dismal, and I dare say even\u00a0disastrous, were particular interests to defeat the common good,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cIn this international perspective, we are grappled with an inevitable choice: either to improve or to ruin the environment and make the earth and the life on it all unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The global climate conference\u00a0commonly called 21st Conference of Parties (COP-21) represents an unprecedented moment in the process of developing a new energy system, which relies on a minimal use of fossil fuels, aims at energy efficiency and makes use of energy sources with the lowest possible carbon content.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe global community is, indeed, confronted with a great political and economic obligation to rethink and correct the dysfunctions and distortions of the current model of development,\u201d he highlighted.<\/p>\n

Secretary Climate Change, Mr. Arif Ahmed Khan and Director-General (Climate Change) Mr. Ifran Tariq, Inspector General of Forests Mr. Syed Mahmood Nasir were also present at the press conference.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio ISLAMABAD, November 27: Federal Minister for Climate Change, Zahid Hamid, on Friday pledged to highlight Pakistan\u2019s case of growing vulnerability to climate change-induced disasters and push rich countries for financial and technical support for coping with the extreme weather events and boosting country\u2019s climate resilience. \u201cSustainability of Pakistan\u2019s economy 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