Why Does Pakistan Need to Take Climate Diplomacy Differently?

News Desk

Islamabad:

Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday said that Pakistan needs to take climate diplomacy differently, adding that it is a strategic issue impacting national development and economy.

They made it clear that there is no dearth of seriousness to this issue as far as Pakistan is concerned.

ISSI Director General Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said that climate change is a serious threat; more than what the world recognizes and more is needed to be done to address this particular issue.

He was addressing an event organized by Center for Strategic Perspectives (CSP) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) , Islamabad on Wednesday.

Dr Adil Najam said that Pakistan needs to take climate diplomacy differently, while there is no dearth of seriousness to this issue; however, Pakistan needs to take climate diplomacy more as a strategic issue than any other.He touched upon multiple issues and concerns regarding climate change and climate diplomacy.

Dr Adil Najam said that the world has largely failed to produce any agreement regardless of the multiple global conferences that have taken place in the past.

Climate is no longer a future issue and has become an everyday concern with constant human adaptation and Pakistan is no exception, he maintained.

It is an issue that has mostly affected the developing countries, including Pakistan, as approximately a third of Pakistan’s population is facing challenges regarding climate adaptation primarily in the agricultural sector mostly because of water.

He was of the view that countries like Pakistan which are more climatic, agriculture and water dependent, will have to bear the maximum cost of climate change, hence, Pakistan has to change its efforts both nationally and internationally to address the issue diplomatically and make it a diplomatic cause.

He went on to say that Pakistan as the head of the G-77 has the opportunity to lead the cause as G-77 has clout on multiple international forums if not all.

Dr. Najam shed light on the failure of climate diplomacy and raised five main issues including failure to act on knowledge, failure of negotiations, failure of diplomacy, vulnerability failure, and failure of politics.