Pakistan launches efforts to roll out national adaption plan to fight climate vulnerability: Amin

ISLAMABAD-Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam on Thursday said that a process has been initiated for rolling out an over-arching and viable national adaptation plan for boosting the country’s climate resilience.

The announcement has come only six weeks before the country will host the World Environment Day, which is celebrated globally every year on June 5th, the PM’s aide said while addressing an online Project Inception Workshop regarding launching of the National Adaptation Plan Process held here on Thursday, said a press release issued here today.

Hosted by Pakistan, the theme of this year’s World Environment Day on June 5th is ‘Ecosystem Restoration.’

The National Adaptation Plan process initiated today would be looking to build on these existing nature-based approaches, which include the Ten Billion Trees Tsunami Program, the Ecosystem Restoration Fund, and the Recharge Pakistan initiative, Malik Amin Aslam told the participants from Pakistan and other countries associated with the UN Environment Programme and the UN-backed Climate Adaptation Fund that like other countries,

He emphasised that given the backdrop Pakistan also views the national adaptation plans as one of the most important mechanisms for adapting to climate change impacts and resilience against the disasters.

“However, we hope that country’s national adaptation plan, to be formed in consultation with relevant national and international stakeholders, would help reduce the country’s vulnerabilities to climate impacts by creating comprehensive medium- and long-term plans, including the integration of adaptation measures into national policy,” said the PM’s aide Malik Amin Aslam.

He emphasised that “Pakistan is already bearing the brunt of climate risks while it contributes less than 1 per cent of the total global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, every year the country keeps on climbing up the ladder of climate vulnerability, Malik Amin added.

According to the long-term German Watch index, Pakistan has remained constantly among top 10 climate vulnerable countries each year since 2010.

“It is imperative for the developing world, which are more vulnerable to climate change, to plan their development with climate change in mind. This is what the National Adaptation Plan process seeks to achieve in Pakistan,” he stressed.

Launched formally on March 25 at a virtual event, the two-year USD 2.7 million project would be funded and technically supported jointly by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Green Climate Fund, said Dr Mazhar Hussain, Climate Change Ministry Deputy Secretary and National Adaptation Plan coordinator.

The ministry official further said that the event was organised successfully, which was attended by dozens of high-level representatives of government ministries, academia, the private sector and key members of Pakistani government. 

Dr Hussain highlighted that Pakistan would be tapping into the National Adaptation Plan process at a full pace and its outcomes to boost the adaptation elements of the Nationally Determined Contributions, a central aspect of the 2015 Paris Agreement and national roadmap to cut climate altering carbon emissions.

Meanwhile, Malik Amin Aslam said that Pakistan has well-thought plans to submit its revised Nationally Determined Contributions before the upcoming UN climate change conference to be held this year in Glasgow.

“The National Adaptation Plan process is accordingly being aligned with the Nationally Determined Contributions to ensure coherent implementation,” he told the online participants.

Article source: https://nation.com.pk/26-Mar-2021/pakistan-launches-efforts-to-roll-out-national-adaption-plan-to-fight-climate-vulnerability-amin