ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman urges transboundary cooperation to avert ‘apocalyptic’ consequences while emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen transboundary resilience and enhance regional cooperation, particularly in water management and climate change.
Speaking on the topic “Strengthening Transboundary Resilience: Enhancing Regional Cooperation,” Senator Sherry Rehman highlighted the critical issues that demand immediate action, linking the current climate crisis to the apocalyptic scenarios we face today. She said the level of emergency we are facing is beyond comprehension. “The apocalypse is no longer a distant future; it is happening right now,” Senator Rehman stated, pointing out that greenhouse gas emissions are directly responsible for the global climate stress.
She expressed her surprise at how little attention is given to water, the “real problem” at the heart of transboundary management and resilience, particularly within the destructive nature of geopolitics.
Urging for a deeper understanding of the finite nature of resources like water, Sherry said “It amazes me how we talk so little about water, a resource we cannot survive without, yet we treat it as if it were infinite. Building resilience both at home and the region, particularly for the water insecurity South Asia faces is not as complex as it sounds. It’s simply about privileging the rational and humane above the old spiral of geopolitical priorities. Transboundary solutions are the frontline path but they need countries and leaders to navigate the future differently than today.”
She criticized the current state of global politics, noting that “Good old-fashioned geopolitics and an obsession with hyper-nationalism are doing nothing for transboundary resilience. The 21st century requires treaties and collaboration, not conflict.” She drew attention to Pakistan’s precarious situation, being one of the top five countries in per capita water usage, consequently facing water scarcity by 2025. “We need to reframe these conversations, which are too often left for seminars and ignored by mainstream discourse,” Rehman asserted.
She called for a revision of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) to reflect current climate realities, criticizing its reliance on historical data rather than new, cautionary statistics. Senator Sherry unpacked the importance of nature-based solutions, citing the “Living Indus” initiative as a significant project that requires community awareness and transboundary collaboration. “The Indus River Basin, sustaining millions, is in desperate need of a recharge. The aggressive use of dams, particularly by India, has disrupted the natural flow, leading to barren soil and desertification,” she said, adding that the hydrology of the entire country has changed, with detrimental effects on agriculture and surface water.
She further added, ‘You can’t save shared ecologies, water basins and glaciers by weaponizing water or any natural resource. Climate diplomacy needs to be more than talk. The big global emitters, including India, need to stop investing in old-fashioned geopolitical conflicts. The 21st-century problems don’t go away with 20th-century solutions. Quite the contrary.” Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by urging for stronger regional cooperation, especially in disaster-stricken areas.
She warned that by 2030, the Indus River Basin could face a 50pc depreciation, affecting the lives of 300 million people. “We are quite far from where we need to be. The good news is that people have agency; they can remind policymakers that these issues go beyond mere policy-making. The younger generation will need to reinvent the wheel to address these challenges.”