Minister warns against insufficient global climate action

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman has called for dispelling a growing climate cynicism across the world, stressing the need for moving beyond talk and taking urgent actions, said a press release issued by the climate change ministry on Tuesday.

Talking to the media on the first day of the ministerial dialogue at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, the minister warned that the climate change was “breaking records” while collective action fell short.

The climate dialogue in the German capital is a high-level political discussion on climate cooperation and the Global Stocktake, ahead of the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.

“I see global records being broken by climate change, while actions taken to match pledges fall short. We’re in a race against time, and gatherings like these are crucial in dispelling the growing climate cynicism that has taken hold across the world,” she said.

The minister highlighted that developing countries such as Pakistan were actually facing climate catastrophe but faced a significant obstacle in securing the necessary funding to meet their climate goals.

“While developed countries received 52% of climate finance in 2022, developing economies only received 48%, despite representing 80% of the world population. This is particularly alarming,” the minister said.

“Developing countries, including Pakistan, have limited access to international climate finance. Pakistan requires $348 billion between 2022 and 2030, representing 10.7% of its cumulative GDP, to meet its climate needs,” she added.

Rehman also emphasised that a clear definition of climate finance was essential for transparency in the use of climate finance. She also called for restructuring international financial architecture to make climate finance more accessible to developing nations.

“Words matter, and they should not be used to normalise inaction,” Rehman said. “Before states get to COP28, we must resolve crucial queries related to the recently created Loss and Damage Fund and prioritise funding gaps in the global financial infrastructure.”

Providing an outline for COP28, she underlined the importance of preventing developing countries from being trapped in financial debts and dependencies while addressing climate injustice.