China hosts forum on climate challenges

Trans-Himalaya cooperation to combat climate change

ISLAMABAD:

An online seminar on ‘Ecological Environment Protection’ convened under the umbrella of the Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Tibet provincial government, a spokesperson shared on Tuesday.

Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Mushahid Hussain spoke on Pakistan’s Climate Change challenges, China’s leadership role on Climate Change and the way forward for future cooperation.

He thanked China for being the first country to give a generous donation of half a million doses of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine, which were airlifted yesterday. He briefed the audience about the looming environmental crisis in the country and said that Pakistan is among the seven most vulnerable countries gravely affected by the issue.

“In the last 25 years, Pakistan has had over 150 freak weather incidents of flash floods, forest fires, melting glaciers, freaky heatwaves, landslides and avalanches, which have displaced populations and disrupted life in general,” the senator lamented.

He added that during the floods that hit Pakistan 10 years ago, 20 per cent of the country’s territory and 10 per cent of its population was displaced in two provinces, causing a whopping USD16 billion loss to the national economy.

The senator said that China’s commitment to climate change, especially underlined by President Xi Jinping who stated that China will become carbon-neutral by 2060 and is trying to peak carbon-dioxide emissions before 2030, is a heartening development.

He commended President Xi’s dream to build a road of green development at the second Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) forum, saying that under the Chinese leadership, the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) scheduled to be held in November 2021 in Glasgow will be a great success.

Hussain proposed three important elements for the way forward on climate change in the context of Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation. He called for delinking the issue of climate change from geopolitics and a cold war mentality while echoing President Xi’s ‘abandoning ideological prejudice’ rhetoric.

He urged the need to select specific projects to promote climate change in the Trans-Himalaya region from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and he suggested the Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation to hold consultation of regional BRI partner states prior to the convening of COP 26.

The forum hosted participation from Asia, Europe, USA and Latin America, including former Untied Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd. China’s Vice Foreign Minister Lou Zhaohui, who has served as Ambassador to Pakistan, also gave a keynote speech.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2021.