National climate change policy: Provinces, ministries fail to come up with action plans

Provincial representatives complained about ‘non-serious attitude’ of ministry officials

ISLAMABAD: Except for the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government, all provinces, ministries and divisions have failed to come up with action plans to tackle climate change issues under the National Climate Change Policy.

The policy provides a framework for addressing the issues Pakistan faces due to changing climate.

At the first meeting of the National Climate Change Policy Implementation Committee (NCCPIC) held in Islamabad on April 23, 2015, provinces, relevant ministries and divisions had been asked to submit their short, medium and long-term plans spelling out adaptation measures and ways and means to tackle climate change issues.

Moreover, provincial governments were also asked to submit their project concept notes related to the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund (GCF). The GCF is a fund within the framework of the UNFCCC as a mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.

The Climate Change Ministry, however, has not received an encouraging response from provinces regarding submission of proposals for the GCF grants.

“The ministry received a total of 27 concept notes on irrigation sector, coastal areas, public engineering, field intrusion of sea water,” an official said adding that except for one almost all the concept notes were rejected for not meeting the GCF criteria.

The official said that the provinces do not have the capacity or expertise and the ministry also lacks the technical know-how to extend help to the provinces to come up with proposals to meet the GCF criteria.

The official said only one $33 million project for glacial lake outburst floods has been submitted to the GCF board which was likely to be taken up in the board’s next meeting.

“The AJK government has developed its climate change action plan, while Sindh and Punjab are holding meetings with stakeholders to finalise their action plans,” another ministry official said adding that other federating units and ministers were yet to submit their blueprints.

At a second meeting of NCCPIC held on February 24, which was attended by officials of federal ministries, provincial governments, experts and development partners, Climate Change Minister Zahid Hamid only talked about the importance of the National Climate Change Policy and its implementation framework, a source privy to the meeting told The Express Tribune while requesting anonymity.

The source said that representatives of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa expressed their anger over non-serious attitude of Climate Change Ministry officials in extending cooperation regarding different climate adaptation and mitigation programmes.

The three provinces also lodged a complaint with the minister and the secretary stating that the ministry officials never respond to their queries on time.  The source said that the secretary told the provincial representatives to directly contact him if they faced any problem in the future, the source said.

Deputy Director Media Saleem Shaikh denied that the provinces have lodged complaint against the ministry officials. He claimed that the ministry was very much serious about coping with climate change issues in collaboration with the federating units.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2016.