Decarbonising global economy : Pakistan hails G-7 accord to phase out fossil fuels

Climate change minister stresses assistance for developing countries in adapting to changing climate.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan has hailed G-7 nations for agreeing to phase out the use of fossil fuels in the course of this century.

“Such a move, if actualised, would help control emission of climate-altering green house gases (GHGs), which have caused global warming. Eventually, this will lead to stabilising climate change and reduction in occurrence of the climate change-induced natural disasters,” said a press release issue by the ministry on Sunday.

On the final day of the G7 summit, held on June 7-8 in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that G7 nations’ leaders had committed themselves to the need to “decarbonise the global economy in the course of this century and agreed on a global target for limiting the rise in average global temperatures to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels”.



Welcoming the announcements, Khan said “We know that with the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris later this year, the pressure is mounting on leaders of the world’s seven most economically-powerful nations to make progress on international agreements to keep climate change at below 2 degrees Celsius.”

He said getting rid of fossil fuels’ use would require energy transition beyond fossil fuels through multiple means, including transport electrification, decommissioning of operating fossil fuel-fired power plants and prevention of the construction of new fossil fuel-fired power stations in the rich countries.

“Above all, a move to the many forms of renewable energy from solar, wind, water and air is must for shifting away from fossil fuels,” Khan said.

The minister said it was possible to achieve sustainable global economic growth while protecting the climate by means of making energy and industrial sectors in rich countries decarbonised, which is a must for wiping out climate- changing greenhouse gas emissions from these sectors.

G-7 consists of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Khan also appreciated Merkel for announcing after the meeting that the G7 remain committed to raising $100 billion in annual climate financing to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) by 2020 from public and private sources.

Khan insisted that getting strong, long-term de-carbonisation commitments from the G7 countries and other rich countries as well as securing more and improved commitments to climate finance of $100 billion goal by year 2020 is indispensable for bring developing and emerging economies on board for climate commitments and tackling common threat of climate change in a unified manner.

“Advanced industrialised nations have a key responsibility to transfer finances and technologies that could enable developing countries to cut their own carbon emissions and adapt to climate change impacts and to be able to join hands with rich nations to cope with climate change in a unified manner,” he argued.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2015.