The human crisis that grips flood-hit Pakistan has prompted calls loud and clear for urgent actions on the losses and damages file.
Practically one-third of Pakistan was underwater, costing the economy $40 billion in losses.
COP27 concluded with a breakthrough agreement on ‘loss and damage’ funding for countries hit hard by disasters resulting from climate change. Said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary: “This outcome moves us forward.”
The Pakistan pavilion showed a documentary that spoke of the “mother of all super-floods that brought havoc to 33 million people — almost the combined population of Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.
“I have seen many humanitarian disasters in the world, but I have never seen climate carnage on this scale. I have simply no words to describe what I have seen,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Prof. Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Reform said in an interview with The Egyptian Mail that he appreciates the support for Pakistan by the international community and the expression of solidarity from the UN and all international leaders at global for a we are planning next year.
“Through COP27, we will be able to mobilise support for Pakistan’s rehabilitation and reconstruction plan, through which we are also trying to develop an adaptive infrastructure in the country that is vulnerable to climate change,” Iqbal said.
“Meanwhile, Pakistan’s contribution to global warming is less than 1 per cent,” he added.
“We will now have to prepare ourselves for more and more climate disasters in future and we can only defend ourselves against these disasters by building a more resilient and adaptable infrastructure communities,” he said, stressing the need for more support because the scale of reconstruction and building an adaptive infrastructure is far beyond Pakistan’s resources.
The minister also appreciated Egypt’s efforts to highlight the issue of climate change as the consequences affect everyone, not just Pakistan, but the entire globe, and particularly the African continent, which is vulnerable to climate change.
“We are in South Asia where we have certain geographic conditions which make us very vulnerable,” the minister went on.
“So it is a global challenge, and the government of Egypt is championing the climate change laws. We appreciate that. And we all need to work together to have a global action on this. It is not about me, it is about us. Whether it is north or it is south, everyone gets affected by climate disasters. So the international community has to see it as a global challenge, “he said.
Iqbal also emphasised the responsibility to protect the planet because future generations are entitled to the same quality of life that we have inherited.
“So we look forward to continuing co-operation, particularly economic co-operation. I think there is huge potential between Egypt and Pakistan,” he said.
Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman spoke of the need to create initiatives that respond to the needs on the ground in vulnerable countries.
Rehman tweeted: “It’s been a long 30-year journey from demand to formation of the Loss and Damage Fund for 134 countries. We welcome today’s announcement and joint text hammered out through many nights.’
“We look forward to [the fund] being operationalised, to actually become a robust body that is able to answer with agility to the needs of the vulnerable, the fragile and those on the front line of climate disasters.”
