COP28: a great opportunity

COP28 is being hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates from November 30 to December 12 and will have delegates from all over the world.

The main areas of focus during the conference will be the first report on Global Stocktake, progress on the Loss and Damage Fund and the Green Climate Fund, and discussions on a two-year work programme to translate the Global Goal of Adaptation into concrete actions.

COP28 is an important platform for Pakistan to highlight the negative impacts of climate change. The country can use this golden opportunity to inform world leaders that climate change is a reality and hitting countries in one form or the other.

The year 2022 witnessed multiple disasters caused by climate change across the world – floods in Pakistan, heatwaves in Europe and South Asia, wildfires in California, typhoons in Japan, etc. Similarly, the year 2023 has also become a challenging time for the world to fight climate-led disasters.

According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the US experienced record-breaking 23 separate disasters between January and August this year. Climate-led disasters are not sparing any country, and Pakistan can remind the world that alarm bells are ringing and time is short to take action to save our world. It is a major problem that requires solutions through collective efforts.

Second, Pakistan should utilize this opportunity to inform the world about its vulnerability to climate change-induced disasters. Pakistan became a victim of the most devastating floods that cost an economic loss of $30 billion. Similarly, Pakistan is experiencing glacier melting, heatwaves, smog and droughts, which are negatively impacting the socio-economic fabric of the country.

It is also an important chance to remind the world about its promise to rehabilitate flood victims and provide financial support for this purpose. Previously, Pakistan successfully used diplomatic channels to organize the Geneva Conference to raise voices for the plight of its flood-affected population. COP28 is an important event to re-emphasize the need to take immediate steps to restore educational, health, and economic activities in flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

Third, Pakistan can also use this forum to show the world that it is serious about tackling climate change issues and has launched various initiatives to mitigate the climate threat. Pakistan can highlight its various green projects like solarization, electric vehicles, etc. It is also an important platform to explore and collaborate with other countries and invite investments in green projects.

Fourth, the declaration to establish a Loss and Damage fund in COP27 was a great achievement for Pakistan and other developing countries affected by climate change. The progress and implementation report will be presented in COP28 to properly activate and make it functional.

Pakistan must focus on convincing the world to contribute the promised amount to the fund immediately so it can benefit the developing countries facing climate change disasters with the least contribution to global carbon emission. The Loss and Damage Fund can be a great support for countries like Pakistan to recover from disasters and rehabilitate the affected.

Fifth, Pakistan and other like-minded countries should also negotiate and demand from developed nations to contribute to the Green Climate Fund to reach the target of $100 billion annually to receive funding for various mitigation and adaptation projects in their respective countries.

Sixth, COP28 is significant because the first review report on Global Stocktake will be presented there. It will analyze the efforts of countries to achieve their set targets to reduce carbon emissions. Pakistan can also reiterate developed countries which are falling short of their set targets to fulfil their targets.

Seventh, Pakistan can also explore opportunities to establish carbon markets. Pakistan can learn and negotiate with other countries that can provide technical support to devise a mechanism for carbon markets at the international, national, and local levels. Government officials, private individuals, and companies in Pakistan can be engaged to train and create awareness about carbon markets. Moreover, Pakistan can sell its carbon credits and earn huge profits as the carbon emissions of Pakistan are less than 1.0 per cent.

Eighth, Pakistan can also highlight issues like gender sensitivities, the role of youth, and rights of indigenous communities while discussing the strategies and implementation programmes for climate change.

COP28 holds a significant importance to convince the world to take the climate change problem seriously, fulfil their commitments to reduce carbon emissions and provide technical and financial support to developing countries to achieve their targets as well.

The writer is a graduate of University of Oxford in Public Policy. She tweets/posts @zilehumma_1