Climate-friendly report can attract huge investment, moot told
KARACHI: Pakistan’s climate-friendly projects can attract up to dollars 120 million investment over the next three years as the government and private sector explore ways to mobilise climate finance, expand renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions.
The investment potential was highlighted at a two-day Investor Roadshow and Policy Dialogue here on Wednesday organised by the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) Pakistan with support from the British government, where 10 Pakistani businesses from five sectors presented environmentally sustainable projects to potential investors.
The dialogue brought together Sindh Environment Secretary Faisal Ahmed Uqaili, British officials, investors and financial institutions to discuss ways to increase private-sector investment in climate-related projects, improve the policy environment and strengthen financing mechanisms for green growth.
Speaking at the event, Faisal Uqaili said the Sindh government was pursuing an integrated approach to tackle climate change, promote green growth and develop carbon finance opportunities, with environmental protection and renewable energy among its priorities.
He said the Sindh Climate Change Policy 2022 and Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) provided the framework for provincial climate action, adding that the provincial government had developed recommendations to support the country’s updated climate targets.
He said Sindh had endorsed 13 projects for the development of carbon markets and forwarded them to the federal government for further consideration.
These projects were expected to help reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 330.13 million tonnes, he added.
The provincial government had also prepared proposals for six priority climate projects with a combined estimated cost of $62.15 million.
The proposed initiatives cover measures to strengthen climate finance capacity and support climate-related interventions, including plans to introduce biogas projects in five districts of Sindh.
He said the government was also developing a climate registry and a digital dashboard to monitor carbon emissions, improve the management of climate-related information and support evidence-based policymaking.
Highlighting the province’s growing exposure to climate risks, Uqaili said effective planning was essential to address extreme heat, floods and water scarcity.
Reliable environmental data, stronger infrastructure and coordinated institutional action were crucial to reducing vulnerabilities and improving the province’s capacity to respond to climate-related challenges, he added.
The policy dialogue focused on bridging the gap between promising climate projects and the financing required to implement them.
By bringing project developers into direct contact with investors and financial institutions, the initiative aims to improve investment readiness and facilitate private capital flows into sustainable businesses.
The participation of 10 Pakistani enterprises from five sectors provided an opportunity to showcase projects seeking investment and explore potential partnerships for scaling up environmental friendly technologies and solutions.
Participants and experts stressed the need for coordinated action to curb environmental pollution and carbon emissions, while calling for greater investment in carbon finance, renewable energy and green technologies.
The discussions also underscored the importance of policy reforms, institutional coordination and stronger technical capacity to create a more favourable environment for climate investment in Pakistan.
The potential $120 million investment over the next three years represents an opportunity to mobilise private-sector resources for climate action, although its realisation will depend on investor interest, project readiness, financing arrangements and an enabling policy framework.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026