UN has failed so far to convince most of the carbon-economies to cut down the emissions
LAHORE: The UN has failed so far to convince most of the carbon-economies to cut down the emissions. UN climate talks held in Madrid have ended with no fruitful outcome on the future control of carbon emissions and climate change. All the developing countries, especially those severely affected by climate change, have advocated to cut the planet-heating greenhouse gases which are mostly produced by a handful of powerful carbon-economies. Only the EU and Canada have been one of the few large emitters to set a goal by adopting plans to become carbon-neutral by the mid-century.
If the same happens next year at the Glasgow meeting, the UN would fail at yet another platform and once again weaker economies will suffer due to devastating effects of climate change.
Climate change will cause severely dramatic consequences for many countries, due to rising sea levels and fierce storms. If climate emergency is not declared soon, the average temperature rise would be 3-5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. The 20 warmest years on record have all occurred in the last 22 years. As one of the most climate vulnerable countries, Pakistan needs to embark on low carbon and climate compatible development. Since the prime minister himself is an environmentalist, he should empower the Pakistan Climate Change Council to take measures for sustainable future development of the country.
Ishwa Javeria
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2019.
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