As the COP29 climate negotiations continue in Baku, Azerbaijan, global leaders face mounting pressure to take meaningful action against the climate crisis. Amid the complex discussions, Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s former climate minister, called for a return to the core urgency of the climate crisis: “We’re here for life and death reasons,” she said during a press briefing on November 18.
Pakistan’s Struggle with Climate Vulnerability
In August 2022, flash floods submerged one-third of Pakistan, affecting 33 million people in one of the country’s worst disasters. Roads, farms, and other infrastructure were wiped away by flash floods, leaving millions of people to rely on tainted water supplies. Rehman, who was present when this destruction occurred, underlined how urgent and significant Pakistan’s needs are in the fight against climate change.
At COP29, Rehman emphasized Pakistan’s urgent need for funding to build resilient infrastructure as part of global climate finance expansion. “The country needs to build resilient homes – a kind of investment that had a net benefit of $4 for each $1 invested,” she said. However, the country also requires technical assistance to manage its decarbonisation efforts and accelerate its energy transition.
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The Need for Climate Finance as Grants, Not Loans
One of the key points Rehman raised was the structure of climate finance. “Finance should also be provided in grants, not loans,” she urged. Loans worsen the debt burden of struggling nations like Pakistan, which is already overwhelmed by climate impacts and mounting debt. “Countries are drowning in floods and debt,” Rehman noted.
She called for quicker, easier access to climate finance, highlighting that current systems are too slow to meet urgent needs. In Pakistan, limited access to funds due to its developing country status causes much-needed financial aid to arrive too late. “By the time it often comes to you, it’s too late: the needs on the ground have changed,” Rehman said, highlighting the frustrating delays in receiving aid.
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International Contributions and Loss & Damage
Pakistan and other climate-vulnerable countries face “loss and damage,” referring to irreversible climate impacts that mitigation or adaptation can’t address. At COP27, Rehman secured a loss and damage fund commitment but warned developed countries’ pledges fall far short of needs.
Rehman said the pressure must stay on donor countries to deliver the finance needed, stressing the importance of holding wealthy nations accountable for providing the financial commitments they made. She also pointed to the need for a shift in the global framework, calling for “internationally determined contributions” alongside the current system of “nationally determined contributions.” This would require wealthy nations to align their actions with the needs of the most affected countries like Pakistan.
