Addressing the US-initiated Leaders’ Summit in Washington, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam told the international community that Pakistan will shift to 60% of clean energy and 30% of electric vehicle use by 2030.
PM’s aide urged developed nations to fulfil their commitment to help others make this transition from carbon-based to clean energy.
“We have committed ourselves to 60% clean energy and 30% electric vehicle transition by 2030. So, Pakistan is clearly doing more than its share for the climate change issue,” he said.
“Now, the world needs to do more on climate finance. It needs to deliver climate finance for countries in energy transition, for countries who need to adapt, like Pakistan,” Mr Aslam added. “It needs to honor the commitment of $100 billion a year” to this cause, as promised.
The two-day virtual summit started on Earth Day, which is being attended by leaders from 40 countries.
Pakistan is the only country in the world with an increasing mangrove cover.
SAPM Malik Amin Aslam
US President Biden, who is hosting this two-day virtual summit, made the biggest pledge — promising to cut his country’s carbon emissions by 50 to 52% from 2005 levels.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga raised Japan’s target for cutting emissions to 46% by 2030, up from 26%.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to reduce his country’s emissions by 40 to 45% by 2030 below 2005 levels, up from 30%.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said China expects its carbon emissions to peak before 2030 and the country will achieve net zero emissions by 2060.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed giving preferential treatment for foreign investment in clean energy projects, but also blamed the US for the climate crisis.
“It is no secret that the conditions that facilitated global warming and associated problems go way back,” Putin said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he and President Biden were launching the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 partnership to “help mobilise investments, demonstrate clean technologies, and enable green collaborations”.
Later, US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack invited Pakistan’s representative, Mr Aslam, to share with the world what a water-stressed country like Pakistan was doing to manage its water resources.
Mr Aslam pointed out that Pakistan contributes less than 1pc to global emissions, yet it’s one of top 10 on the list of most vulnerable countries because of its topography and geography.
“We face the Himalayan glaciers which are melting in the north, the arid zones which are getting heat waves like never before, cyclones in the south and rising sea levels and floods in the plains,” he said.
Pakistan, he said, was a strong and resilient nation and was doing its best to cope with this disaster.
“We are planting 10bn trees and restoring nearly 1m hectares of forests, including the mangroves in the south,” he said. “Pakistan is the only country in the world with an increasing mangrove cover.”
