The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) convened its first post-COP30 seminar to review the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Belém, Brazil, and to assess their implications for Pakistan and other climate-vulnerable countries.
Opening the session, Ambassador Jauhar Saleem underscored Pakistan’s disproportionate exposure to climate risks, despite its contribution of less than one per cent to global greenhouse gas emissions.
He drew attention to rapidly shrinking glaciers, increasing water scarcity, deforestation and deteriorating air quality, noting that cities such as Lahore now rank among the world’s most polluted. Ambassador Saleem observed that fossil fuels continue to dominate global energy consumption, while non-fossil alternatives lag significantly behind.
Although acknowledging Pakistan’s progress in solar energy, particularly through micro-solar initiatives, he stressed that resilience efforts cannot succeed without adequate financing and effective implementation.
Zainab Naeem, Associate Research Fellow at SDPI, described COP as a critical diplomatic platform shaped as much by politics as by science.Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express TribuneDNARead More
