{"id":31310,"date":"2023-12-04T06:40:04","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T06:40:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/pm-terms-indus-basin-ground-zero-of-climate-mitigation-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-12-04T06:40:04","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T06:40:04","slug":"pm-terms-indus-basin-ground-zero-of-climate-mitigation-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/pm-terms-indus-basin-ground-zero-of-climate-mitigation-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"PM terms Indus basin ground zero of climate mitigation | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nDUBAI:
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Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said on Sunday Pakistan\u2019s climate challenge was primarily a water challenge which needed immediate redressal and highlighted the importance of adapting the Indus Basin to the impacts of climate because majority of the population was linked to this mighty river.<\/p>\n

Addressing an event on \u2018Living Indus Initiative\u2019 at the Pakistan Pavilion as part of the United Nations 28th Conference of Parties (COP-28), the prime minister explained that the \u2018Living Indus\u2019 was as an umbrella initiative aimed at restoring the ecological health of the Indus within the Pakistan borders.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government of Pakistan is clear on its priorities with \u2018Living Indus\u2019. This umbrella initiative emerges from extensive consultation with stakeholders, resulting in a set of 25 living interventions that emphasise nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation approaches,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore important is that the Living Indus initiative seeks to mobilise a moment that prepared and restored a healthy Indus for today and tomorrows. And we are here to collaborate and give voice to our rivers,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Indus feeds us and if we do not take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

This initiative, according to the prime minister, envisaged a minimum indicative investment between $11 and $17 billion over the next 15 years. He also referred to the \u2018Recharge Pakistan\u2019 project as the first concrete step towards the \u2018Living Indus\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis flagship project with an international climate finance of nearly $78 million is central to our efforts in reducing future flooding and drought impacts,\u201d he added. \u201cThe \u2018Recharge Pakistan\u2019 project will not only benefit millions of our citizens but also serve as a model for climate innovation on a global scale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kakar stressed that Pakistan was the 8th most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change in the world. He called upon various stakeholders to contribute towards the global efforts of addressing the climate change issue by raising voice in their articles, sermons, addresses and poetry.<\/p>\n

L&D Fund<\/strong>
Later, talking to the students of Pakistan\u2019s orphan school KORT Education, who won the prestigious Zayed Sustainability Prize here at the COP-28, Kakar said that the students had made every Pakistani including, he himself proud as they have done a wonderful job.<\/p>\n

Also, in an interview with Sky News Arabia, Kakar termed the announcement of $30 billion Loss and Damage Fund \u201ca good start in the right direction\u201d at the COP-28. He added that Pakistan had advocated for the fund at the in COP-27 in Egypt assist the developing countries in facing the climate challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund is a testament that the developed countries have morally accepted the argument that world must support those countries that are not responsible for the climate damage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPakistan has always been advocating that the countries who have not contributed to the carbon emissions but remained one of the worst affected by the climate disaster must be compensated in terms of mitigation, climate adaptation and receiving climate finance to address all those challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

And in another interview with a leading Abu Dhabi-based newspaper Aletihad, Kakar hoped that the $30 billion fund initiative by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would be translated into tangible projects, especially in the Global South.<\/p>\n

He stressed the need for a global contribution to the effort to counter climate challenge. \u201cIt is not just the UAE, which should cater to climate mitigation,\u201d he opined. For Pakistan, he added, the climate change was a \u201cnational security challenge\u201d and a shared global issue.<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0<\/strong>Pakistan\u2019s stance on climate finance for developing countries acknowledged at COP28: PM<\/a><\/p>\n

The prime minister emphasised that climate change was a common challenge to all, whether it was a small nation or a large nation. He warned that one could not rely on assumption that drought would only affect a particular country or the melting of a glacier would occur only in certain regions.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, there will be more vulnerable countries, but that vulnerability does not protect others. Climate change is changing its face, shape, and form, affecting more or less the entire globe,\u201d he said. \u201cRather than being judgemental, focus should be on resolving the challenge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kakar highlighted the importance of closely watching scientific developments in the climate domain. \u201cThe buzzwords of one decade would be obsolete in another. We have to think that the change will be kaleidoscopic, and it will be quite speedy. We have to be vigilant about the scientific developments.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also outlined Pakistan\u2019s efforts for sustainability and in climate fight, noting that the country could also benefit from the UAE-led climate fund. \u201cPakistan, I presume, would be one of the beneficiaries of such funds, particularly when it comes from a brotherly country like the UAE,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He hailed the UAE for hosting of the global climate conference and congratulated President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for holding \u201csuch a fabulous event\u201d. He underscored the long and sustainable partnership between two countries in climate mitigation and others areas.<\/p>\n

He said that both the countries had signed a number of bilateral agreements in the last few days. One of the contributing and guiding principles in translating all these agreements would be the consideration of climate change problems, he noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UAE plays a leading role in the region. There are plenty of opportunities around the region, where Pakistan contributes with its youth and their entrepreneurial and professional skills in diverse sectors,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Gaza war<\/strong>
Talking about the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, Kakar called for creating a \u201chumanitarian corridor\u201d. He told Sky News Arabia that the senseless violence perpetrated by Israel should immediately be stopped because it could \u201cengulf the entire region if not stopped\u201d.<\/p>\n

Talking about the Afghan nationals\u2019 repatriation process, the prime minister said that there were around 1 million undocumented Afghan refugees in Pakistan, adding: \u201cIt is our duty to regulate movement through documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kakar said Kashmir issue remained unresolved for the last seven decades, adding that Pakistan desired peace and resolution of the issue.<\/p>\n

However, he continued, \u201cthese feelings must be reciprocated by the India\u201d. he added. The issue \u201cneeds to be resolved according to the Security Council resolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the sidelines of the COP-28, Kakar held a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and exchanged views on international and regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and the evolving humanitarian situation in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Kakar underscored that Pakistan and the Netherlands should work together bilaterally and through the European Union on matters of mutual interest.<\/p>\n

He invited Dutch companies to invest in agriculture, horticulture, water management and renewable energy sectors in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n