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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan should group with and support G77 and China’s proposal for deeper cuts from the developed parties and should actively pursue the agenda of strong and visible reduction in carbon emission commitments from the developed countries.
Pakistan should also ask for defined mechanisms to ensure the fulfillment of commitments from the developed parties. Furthermore, adaptation should be prime focus of Pakistani negotiators at UNFCCC meetings.
Shakeel Ahmed Ramay, Research Associate of Sustainable Development Policy Institute, and Arshad H Abbassi, Water Expert, Visiting Research Fellow, SDPI presented their review and analysis at a consultation seminar entitled “Role of Pakistan’s Civil Society in the Upcoming Bangkok Negotiations” organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), in collaboration with Climate Action Network–South Asia (CANSA) and Oxfam GB and PYCN (Pakistan Youth Climate Network) here on Thursday.
Ramay gave a brief introduction of Climate Change since the first actions taken against it was by the UN General Assembly in 1988. UN General Assembly established Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for negotiating a framework convention on climate change in 1990.The INC adopted, by consensus, the United Nations Framework for Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 9 May 1992. The Convention was opened for signatures at the UNCED. He further explained the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities (equity and respective capabilities), and the necessity of developed country Parties to take the lead. He stressed that specific needs and special circumstances of developing country Parties should be given full consideration. Moreover, the Parties should take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of climate change and mitigate its adverse effects.
While discussing the further principles he said that the Parties have a right to, and should, promote sustainable development. And lastly, the Parties should cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system that would lead to sustainable economic growth and development in all Parties.
Shakeel Ramay further shared the elements of the global deal shared vision: mitigation North and South, energy and deforestation, finance, technology cooperation, adaptation.
It the end, some strategies were suggested for Pakistan such as supporting the continuation of Kyoto Protocol and asking the developed parties to fulfill the commitments made under the protocol. He said that being the neighbour of two big polluters Pakistan should ask for the implementation of Principle 21 of Stockholm Declaration which states that activities within their jurisdiction or control shall not damage the environment of other States or areas beyond national jurisdiction, and recognizing their responsibilities to urgently mitigate emissions that are causing climate change, damaging, and will continue to damage areas beyond their national jurisdiction. He emphasized that there should be no linkage between the climate change and international trade.
He stressed that the key priority is to adapt to climate change through the financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building from the Anexx1 Parties. He recommended that Pakistan should actively pursue the agenda of strong and visible reduction commitments from the developed countries and Pakistan should also ask for defined mechanisms to ensure the fulfillment of commitments from the developed parties. During the discussion, Dr. Khwaja commented that chemicals are the most ignored issue in the debate on climate change and Pakistan should raise this point at the UNFCCC negotiation very strongly.
Arshad H Abbassi, said that global climate change is by far the biggest threat ever encountered by humankind. It is time that the global leadership and community work with Pakistani and Indian leaders to take measures to save Himalayan glaciers by solving the long-standing Siachen dispute. Not only is this conflict adding to environmental degradation, sea level rise and changing climate pattern but it is also depriving the poor of both countries of close to one billion dollars every year that these countries spend to maintain troops there.