Stupendous funds, efforts required to meet climate commitments

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will require an estimated USD565. 7 billion in climate-related investment by 2035 to implement its updated climate commitments, as the country seeks to cut projected greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50 percent while strengthening resilience against worsening climate impacts. A workshop organized by the Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), under the Danish Embassy-funded project titled “Shaping Pakistan’s Climate Prosperity Plan to Advance Inclusive and Equitable Development in Pakistan“, was told this here on Friday. The training programme was aimed to enhance green skills among journalists and strengthen media reporting on climate mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, fiscal planning and governance. According to Pakistan’s latest Nationally Determined Contribution 3. 0, submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the country has committed to reducing projected greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2035. Of this target, 17 percent is unconditional and will be achieved through domestic resources and policy measures, while 33 percent is conditional on international climate finance, technology transfer and capacity support. Speaking at the workshop, climate change expert and trainer Dr. Asif Khan said climate change was not only an environmental issue but a development and governance challenge for Pakistan. Explaining the difference between climate and weather, he said, “Climate is what we expect in the long term, while weather is what we get on a daily basis. ” He said the distinction was important for journalists as individual weather events such as heatwaves, unusual rainfall, floods and droughts needed to be understood in the broader context of long-term climate change. Dr. Khan said the global climate system was shaped by complex interactions between the atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. He said greenhouse gases were necessary to keep the Earth habitable, but excessive emissions caused by fossil fuel-based economic activity had intensified global warming and increased climate risks. Citing global emission trends, he said greenhouse gas emissions had increased sharply since the industrial revolution, rising from around 4. 22 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 1850 to about 53 billion tonnes in 2022. He said the top ten emitting countries contributed nearly 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, while Pakistan remained among the countries facing severe climate impacts despite contributing a small share to global emissions. The workshop was informed that the World Meteorological Organization uses seven key climate indicators to assess global climate change. These include surface temperature, ocean heat, atmospheric carbon dioxide, ocean acidification, sea level rise, glacier mass balance and sea ice extent. Dr. Khan said these indicators showed that climate change was not limited to rising temperatures alone, but was also affecting oceans, glaciers, sea levels, water cycles and extreme weather patterns. He said Pakistan was already experiencing the consequences of climate change through rising temperatures, heatwaves, erratic rainfall, urban flooding, glacial lake outburst floods, water stress and increasing pressure on agriculture and public infrastructure. He pointed out that inadequate policy planning at the government level and weak implementation of the National Adaptation Plan remained major obstacles in addressing climate impacts effectively. Dr. Khan stressed the need for stronger coordination between Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions and the National Adaptation Plan, saying both frameworks should be interlinked to achieve meaningful climate resilience and sustainable development. He said adaptation planning should not remain limited to climate departments but should be integrated into agriculture, water, energy, health, transport, housing, education, disaster management and urban development policies. He also underlined the need for evidence-based climate policies, improved governance mechanisms and active media engagement in creating awareness about environmental risks and adaptation strategies. Addressing the participants, organizer and Programme Officer Syeda Kashmala said the workshop was aimed at enhancing journalists’ understanding of climate change and fiscal planning through specialized training and capacity-building sessions. She said the initiative was designed to support journalists reporting on climate mitigation and adaptation actions, enabling them to communicate environmental issues more effectively to the public. “The broader objective of the project is to advance the integration of climate considerations into Pakistan’s fiscal and economic planning in order to promote an inclusive reform agenda for a resilient Pakistan, ” she added. The Danish Embassy-supported project focuses on strengthening Pakistan’s climate prosperity planning by promoting green skills, institutional capacity, public-private engagement and informed policy dialogue. Participants were told that media professionals had a crucial role in translating complex climate science and policy frameworks into clear public information. Speakers said climate reporting in Pakistan needed to move beyond disaster coverage and should also examine budget allocations, climate finance, governance gaps, adaptation planning, urban resilience, agricultural vulnerability and the implementation of national climate commitments. More than a dozen journalists from different media organizations attended the workshop and participated in interactive discussions on climate governance, sustainable development and the role of media in promoting climate awareness. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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