We Are At Ground Zero Of Climate Stress, Climate Resilient Recovery Is Paramount: Sherry Rehman

 News Desk

Islamabad: Those of us who live in warmer climates, the geographies of vulnerability, are caught in a recovery trap. As we live in a time of accelerating climate change that causes unprecedented human suffering, we are at the epicentre of climate stress, said Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman.

“Despite great strides made during a conference on climate resilient recovery, we might not be able to reconstruct a third of the country before the next calamity strikes,” stated Senator Sherry Rehman while speaking at the annual Pakistan Breakfast at Davos as the Chief Guest, organised by the Pathfinder Group.

She complimented the event’s organisers for setting up the gathering every year on the fringes of the Annual Meeting in Davos, allowing Pakistani policymakers to exchange thoughts with attendees from around the globe.

The minister lauded the efforts of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister for their leadership on the multilateral stage and for exceeding the goals in Geneva during the Climate Resilient Pakistan conference, despite donor weariness and other global issues.

“Make no mistake, though; Pakistan still has a climate emergency, and we still have a lot of work to do to get the nation back on its feet. Although the cameras have vanished, the crisis continues. Eight million people are at risk from flooding, and there are still 20 million people who want humanitarian aid,” she said.

The minister highlighted, “These calamities are not merely acts of God, but rather are the results of prolonged anthropogenic activities.”

The minister also spoke at a panel discussion titled ‘Investing in Nature’ organised by The Maryam Forum Foundation.

Climate change and biodiversity are critical concerns that necessitate a scientific approach to inform our choices, but present attempts have fallen short.

“As a result of our collective failure to raise the public discourse to the necessary level, there is still some denial among corporate executives and networks. We are far off the mark, and our commercial and governmental paradigms must alter if we are to reach the critical mass required to make a difference in biodiversity loss and climate action,” Senator remarked.

Minister Rehman urgedthat coalition building is essential for climate action, adding that the entire Bretton Woods financial system must be redesigned in order to make climate funding flexible and readily available for countries that are experiencing the most severe climatic stress.

“If we don’t act collectively and radically within the next ten years, what is occurring in Pakistan will eventually reach Davos, but only after one-third of the world has returned to the 19th century due to our lack of collective action,” she stated