Mushahidullah to attend ministerial climate conference in Paris

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan would leave to Paris on September 06 for participation in the two-day 2nd Ministerial Conference.

In this regard, Ambassador of France to Pakistan, Martine Dorance, Thursday called on Federal Minister for Climate Change and discussed various matters and ways and means to cope with ravaging impacts of climate change caused by global warming, said a spokesman of the Ministry.

During the meeting, the French ambassador conveyed formal invitation of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Laurent Fabius, to Mushahidullah Khan for participation in the Conference.

She told the minister that the meeting will review in detail the preparation of two-week long UN-led global climate conference being held in December this year that would deliver a global climate agreement to tackle the global warming.

"Since Pakistan is highly vulnerable to climate change and is already bearing its brunt, the country's participation in meeting in September is of an unprecedented significance. So that Pakistan can make the global leaders acquainted with the climate change-induced losses and damages being faced by it," she stressed.

Martine Dorance urged the minister to ensure his participation in the conference.

Mushahidullah Khan assured the French ambassador that he would consider the invitation and try his best to join the conference, where he would strongly plead Pakistan's climate vulnerability.

The minister told the ambassador that Pakistan welcomes remark of the French President regarding much-awaited global climate agreement in which the latter has told rich countries about a roadmap for ramping up climate finance for developing countries to $100 billion a year by 2020. This is inevitable to agreeing the new global climate deal in Paris later this year, he added.

The minister has also backed argument of the French President Francois Hollande that without any financial commitment by rich polluting countries including USA, UK, Germany, Canada and Poland, the chances are dim for global climate pact most likely to be reached in Paris in December this year among over 196 rich and poor countries.

The French President expressed these views at two-day 6th international Petersberg Climate Dialogue `Reaching for the Paris outcome', which concluded on May 19 in Berlin, Germany.

The minister said rich countries are vey much responsible for global warming, caused by climate-altering carbon emissions. "However, there is strong perception that the rich countries should cut their carbon emissions to slow down the climate change and enable poor countries through finances and technology to deal with the impacts of climate change in shape of heat waves, floods, super storms, cyclones, typhoons and crop failures."