ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Dr Musadik Masood Malik on Sunday issued a stark warning over rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas-Karakoram-Hindukush mountain range, describing the phenomenon as occurring at an unprecedented rate and urging swift international action.
Speaking via video link at a High-Level Climate Finance Dialogue on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the minister urged the international community to speed up climate finance for the world’s most vulnerable nations, noting that Pakistan faces severe climate risks despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. “Despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries.”
He said: “We are committed to tackling climate change through adaptation and mitigation, but partnership and fair climate finance are essential for developing economies to move forward.” Pakistan, he noted, is home to more than 13,000 glaciers feeding the Indus River system, a key ecological and economic backbone of the country.
Malik highlighted the need for global support to implement climate-resilient strategies, including the country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which aim for 60 percent renewable energy by 2030 and ecosystem restoration through initiatives such as the Living Indus Initiative and Recharge Pakistan.
He cautioned that national efforts alone were insufficient and called for the operationalisation of pledged mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund, designed to provide financing to high-risk and often overlooked nations. He also urged international financial institutions and development partners to ease access to climate adaptation technologies and capacity-building initiatives in the Global South.
He warned that much of the existing climate finance is diverted from loans originally intended for education, health, and other development goals, leaving developing countries to respond to climate disasters at the cost of long-term progress.
The dialogue brought together climate finance experts and representatives from multilateral development banks to discuss streamlined financing mechanisms and accelerate funding flows for vulnerable nations.
It concluded with calls for stronger international partnerships, transparent funding, and targeted support for countries most at risk
from climate impacts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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