ISLAMABAD: Chairperson Senate Committee on Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman urged Pakistan and other Global South countries to recalibrate their approach to multilateral climate action.
Delivering the closing keynote address at the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) high-level roundtable on the Post-COP29 outcomes, Senator Sherry Rehman said that while COP29 was heralded as a “finance COP,” it fell short of expectations. “It became very good at raising gripping slogans, but it has to go beyond slogans. We didn’t see the goals being met,” she said, referring to the unfulfilled pledge of $100 billion annually, which was only realized in 2022 after years of delay.
“The $300 billion promised by 2035 is a band-aid on a bullet wound,” she asserted, adding that Pakistan alone required $30 million for loss and damage, far exceeding the meagre commitments that have been made.
“We need to see very clearly where we stand. It’s certainly not the Paris moment anymore — that was the highest point of multilateralism,” Sherry Rehman said, stressing that “we are still speaking the same language” while emissions continue to rise, and the 1.5-degree goal is no longer viable. “1.5 degrees is not alive. That’s the bumper sticker we need to confront,” she declared, in a stark reality check on climate action.
She took a critical view of Pakistan’s approach to climate governance, highlighting the need for clarity of purpose. “Much of institutional Pakistan is still confused about climate change,” she noted. “It’s not just about making arguments multilaterally. Multilateralism today is not rules-based or order-based. Pakistan needs to take the reins of its own climate agenda, rather than waiting for directives from the Global North,” she emphasized, citing the slow pace of international action on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — the commitments made under the Paris Agreement — noting that while NDCs are not legally binding, they are still vital instruments for accountability. “The whole business was about lowering emissions — those were the commitments made at Paris. It was about 1.5 degrees, but that is no longer alive.”
In a direct response to some speakers, Senator Rehman called to pivot away from centralized climate authorities and toward localized leadership at the provincial level. “If you make a climate authority, it will not lead you to the momentum you want. Quite the opposite, the actual momentum will come from the provinces, and yet another authority will just become a white elephant” she said.
She stressed that actual climate action in Pakistan is rooted in the provinces, underscoring the importance of bottom-up, community-driven solutions.
Underscoring a new paradigm in climate activism, she drew attention to the emerging global trend of “do no harm,” a shift from lofty commitments to actionable, practical measures. “This is the new actionable trend,” she noted, urging Pakistan to adapt and evolve in line with global best practices.
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