Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Thursday took exceptions to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan assertions against the decision to review nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The federal minister during the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change meeting told the forum that the previous regime pledged ambitious NDCs at the international environmental moot COP-26 held last year in Glasgow that were based on unrealistic targets.
Sherry said, “The NDCs target needs to be reviewed which is not conforming to our GHG emissions contribution being the global least polluter. Our pledges are exceeding those of the developed countries of the region.”
She said there previous regime in the Ministry of Climate Change held no meeting on energy transition whereas in NDCs it pledged to convert 30 percent of the energy mix by 2030.
“Pakistan has been the chair of G-77 countries and we laid great emphasis on Stockholm Convention that the developed nations should do more and meet their targets of reducing GHGs and stop putting burden on the underdeveloped countries,” she added.
The Minister underlined that the country required US$ 101 billion to ensure energy conversion as per the NDCs which needed to be revised, adding, “Energy transition is a completely different thing from planting trees.”
She also criticised the previous government’s another NDC commitment of converting 60 percent of transport fleet over electric vehicles (EVs). “Without battery charging infrastructure there is no concept of EVs in the country.”
She said the country should set achievable goals based on ground realities and facts.
Senator Faisal Javed in response to her comments said there was need to remove legal lacuna in the constitutional amendments that were hindering the path of sustainable development and climate resilience.
“Pakistan took an ambitious target at the UN Climate Summit and achieved the 13th sustainable development goal (SDG 13) ten years ahead of its deadline. Pakistan also hosted world environment day first time in its history virtually participated by global leaders and heads of states, reduced desertification to a great level by achieving Bonn Challenge,” he said.
He argued that these ambitious and somewhat difficult to achieve goals were attained by the current team of the Ministry of Climate Change that proved their professional prowess and mettle.
“The Ministry should not review the NDCs as they are achievable and this team can do it through its expertise. We should think progressively and take these targets of NDCs as a challenge,” he added.
He also quoted the World Bank Report of 2021 saying that Pakistan was number one in the world for investing its 44 percent of the development budget in environmental friendly projects. “We should believe in ourselves and instead of cutting a sorry figure before the crises should bravely compete them as we did in our past.”
