SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Friday said the world needed a climate finance alliance to deal with the future tsunami of environmental disasters.
Speaking at the 27th meeting of the conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) Forum on Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region of the United Nations, the Minister demanded that a public and private financing system should be created at the forum to assist worst impacted countries due to environmental degradation for enhancing climate resilience and preparedness.
Senator Rehman said climate change events were on the rise in the Asia-Pacific region, adding, “This is a period of much-needed adaptation for us.”
The Minister underscored that the concern was how the world would protect its societies from the climate emergency. “We are at ground zero of climate stress,” Sherry Rehman said.
The Living Indus initiative involved projects that would reduce carbon emissions whereas the project’s objectives included ecosystem restoration, river protection and a resilient future, she said.
Besides, the UN’s climate change summit has opened in Egypt with a warning that our planet is “sending a distress signal”.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was responding to a UN report released on Sunday saying the past eight years were on track to be the warmest on record. More than 120 world leaders are due to arrive at the summit known as COP27, in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
This will kick off two weeks of negotiations between countries on climate action. COP27 president, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, urged leaders to not let food and energy crises related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine get in the way of action on climate change. “It is inherent on us all in Sharm el-Sheikh to demonstrate our recognition of the magnitude of the challenges we face and our steadfast resolve to overcome it.” –Agencies
