Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday called for the developed world to boost climate funding for developing nations, stressing there can be no “resilience” without climate justice.
“As the minus-one emitters, we should not brave the impact of emissions realized by others without even the tools to finance resilience,” he said at the ongoing COP29 Climate Action Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Without climate justice, there can be no real resilience,” he added.
“I would not want other countries to face the plight Pakistan faced back in 2022,” he said, referring to the devastating floods that affected over 30 million people. “Pakistan is a resilient, hard-working, and responsible nation. We are fully committed to being part of the global climate solutions,” he added.
Sharif said the incumbent government was taking concrete actions to deliver on its commitment to producing 60% of all its energy from clean sources and shifting 30% of its vehicles to electric vehicles by the end of this decade. Pakistan, he maintained, was in the midst of a renewable energy revolution.
Recalling that Pakistan had presented a comprehensive national adaptation plan and developed its carbon market framework by 2024, he stressed that the country lacked the resources to achieve its aims without international support. He claimed developing countries needed an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current goals.
“In COP27, Pakistan led this phenomenon. I strongly feel that climate finance must be grant-based and not add to the debt burden of developing countries. Finally, two years ago, I warned at the top of my voice that the future would never forgive our inaction, today, I echo the same,” he said. “COP29 should make this understanding loud and clear that we will have to fulfil those financial pledges committed in COP27, COP28,” he emphasized.
In 2009, wealthy countries pledged to contribute $100 billion a year to help developing nations cope with the costs of a transition to clean energy and adapting to the conditions of a warming world. The pledge expires this year but has yet to be fully funded.