The issue of climate change cannot be mitigated by throwing pennies into rivers, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, slammed India’s gimmicks during his speech at the ongoing COP26 in Glasgow.
He termed India’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 as a ‘scam.’ He said that India is the world’s third-biggest emitter and its emissions are directly responsible for exacerbating the climate change in neighboring states with lower emissions.
During his address, the SAPM said that Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of the total global emissions. The country is not part of the problem of climate change. However, it has decided to be part of the solution to address the issue of climate change.
The SAPM urged leaders of all key regional and international countries to stop “playing jokes” and “trivializing” the serious issue of climate change.
He asked them to take concrete steps to mitigate the pressing issue of climate change and to launch awareness campaigns to sensitize the masses against the consequences of the problem at hand.
The SAPM also highlighted the initiatives that the incumbent federal government has taken to mitigate the repercussions of climate change.
He said that Pakistan Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2020-25 was approved last year. It envisions converting 30% of passenger vehicles and 90% of heavy-duty trucks to EVs by 2030 and 2040 respectively.
The government postponed plans of setting up three coal-based power plants of 2500 MW last year and instead decided to establish a zero-carbon hydro-based power plant of 3700 MW.
The SAPM claimed that the flagship program of the incumbent government for the restoration of the ecosystem by planting trees— Ten Billion Tree Tsunami— has become a global brand.
Under the program, the government launched the “Protected Areas Initiative” to set up 15 new national parks all over the country.
The government also launched the “Recharge Pakistan” initiative to restore the wetlands and recharge the groundwater aquifers of the country.
