PM Shehbaz pledges 62% renewables in energy mix by 2035 at UN climate summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced that Pakistan would raise the share of renewables, including hydropower, to 62% of the country’s energy mix by 2035, calling it a key step in building climate resilience.

Speaking at the Climate Summit 2025 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the premier also pledged to increase Pakistan’s nuclear energy capacity to 1,200 megawatts by 2030.

He also announced the government’s plan to shift 30% of public transport to environment-friendly energy sources, a commitment that aligns with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s ongoing push to introduce electric buses in the province.

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Shehbaz underlined that Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has already suffered immense losses due to recent floods and extreme weather events. He said promoting climate-resistant and environment-friendly agriculture will also be a priority in the coming years.

The commitments come just a day after US President Donald Trump dismissed climate change as the “greatest con job ever” and labelled the concept of carbon footprints a “hoax.”

The US, historically the world’s largest emitter and currently the second-biggest after China, is in the process of withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the 2015 pact designed to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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By contrast, Chinese President Xi Jinping used the same platform to set out new targets, saying China aims to cut economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 7 to 10% by 2035 from its peak and raise the share of non-fossil fuels to over 30% of total consumption.

He added that the country’s installed wind and solar capacity will reach 3.6 billion kilowatts by 2035, more than six times the 2020 level.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, called on all signatories of the Paris Agreement to adopt new and more ambitious climate plans for 2035.

He noted that while the accord has lowered projected global temperature rise from four degrees Celsius to 2.6 degrees, current pledges remain insufficient. “Now, we need new plans for 2035 that go much further, much faster,” he said.