CLIMATE CHANGE

ON April 22, world leaders from 40 countries, 17 of them responsible for four-fifths of the
world’s greenhouse gas emissions, held a virtual summit convened by President Joe Biden. The
ultimate goal is to have a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5
degrees Celsius, starting with a 50pc reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
 The Biden administration has unfolded its four-track climate strategy: 1) the biggest-
ever plan for investment in American infrastructure to make it climate smart; 2) create
jobs as a byproduct of climate action (70 million Americans are out of a job because of
Covid-19’s impact); 3) phasing out coal by propelling renewable energy (RE) and
Electric Vehicles (EVs) infrastructure, including making solar, wind and hydro-energy
the backbone of the US economy; and 4) win back leadership in green technologies from
China, EU and others.
 The summit will help generate support for these actions by linking domestic economy to
the global climate agenda and create a global momentum for climate action before the
climate change conference (COP 26) in November 2021.
Even if it was not invited, this summit was extremely important for Pakistan.
Pakistan was not invited to the summit. Thankfully, Malik Amin Aslam, our dynamic climate
change adviser, was invited to the session on adaptation.
BANGLADESH
Bangladesh is presently heading a 48-nation grouping called the Climate Vulnerability
Forum. Put together, they have a population of 1.2 billion and contribute 5pc of global CO2
emissions. Since CVF involves some of the most vulnerable countries, they have taken a
position to stabilise global temperature rise at 1.5C and each member is committed to net-zero
emissions economies before mid-century

China and India

 While Bangladesh and Pakistan are low-level emitters, China and India are the world’s
highest and third highest carbon emitters respectively. Both countries have taken
impressive strides in wind and solar energy, and have become the largest producers and
users of these technologies.
 But both China and India are still addicted to coal power and wish to buy more time to
phase out the fuel. China is presently leading in several technologies particularly EVs,
energy storage, domestic carbon trading and carbon bonds, in addition to ecosystem-
based approaches for carbon sequestration.

SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has obstructed, even blocked, international climate negotiations
for decades to protect the interests of the fossil fuel industry. By inviting Saudi Arabia, the
administration has taken the fault lines of American domestic politics to the Middle East. A
transition to RE will deeply cut the world demand for fossil fuels and therefore it becomes
imperative to engage with the oil-producing world.
Even if it was not invited, this summit was extremely important for Pakistan, particularly since it
will co-host World Environment Day in June this year.
Pakistan will need to take three specific actions to draw greater attention:
 First, fill the ambition gap: Pakistan needs to align with global forces that seek rapid
climate actions. Pakistan should therefore formally support 1) global temperature
stabilising at 1.5C and not at 2C, 2) carbon neutrality by mid-century and near zero-
emissions by 2030, and 3) phasing out coal power plants.
 Second, fill the credibility gap: Pakistan’s announcements need to be fully credible,
backed by roadmaps and measured actions.
 Third, demonstrate clarity of purpose. For the world to engage with Pakistan in the global
climate arena, Pakistan will need to show commitment to climate-smart development
planning that i) leads to decarbonistion of the economy and increasing competitiveness
through RE and affordable energy, ii) integrates resilience across physical and human
capital, and iii) strengthens macro-fiscal sustainability to protect against climate-induced
shocks that might affect the economy.
 There is no better recipe for Pakistan to be part of the international climate change
discourse than to have its own success stories, emerging from these actions, which it can
share with the world.