ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Climate Change has warned that there are plans to phase out vehicles older than 15 years from the roads in Punjab, as 80% of climate-related issues are caused by emissions from old vehicles.
The meeting of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly was chaired by Hina Rabbani Khar. It is the only meeting where countries discuss their climate change-related issues.
During the meeting, the Secretary of Climate Change stated that a plan is being developed to remove vehicles older than 15 years from the roads in Punjab, as 80% of climate issues are caused by the smoke emitted from these old vehicles. “We need to do better for Pakistan and address the challenges of climate change,” he added.
The Chairperson said that she would like to advise the Foreign Office on how to handle the limited space we have globally for climate change issues, and how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dealing with it.
She suggested that the Foreign Office should work with various universities in Islamabad on climate change research. The Ministry of Climate Change has also signed an agreement with a private university for research.
The Additional Secretary stated that it is a good idea for the Foreign Office to collaborate with universities on this matter. Nabil Munir mentioned that at COP 29, a $3 million agreement was made for developing countries, but Russia did not participate due to the ongoing war. Discussions are also underway between Pakistan and South Korea regarding climate change agreements.
Hina Rabbani Khar concluded by saying that the world is now divided into developed and developing climate diplomacy. “In this era of climate diplomacy, we should not engage in bad diplomacy. Pakistan needs to play a bridging role in this situation, working with both developed and developing countries in climate diplomacy.”
