Anwar Iqbal
Published February 15, 2024
UNITED NATIONS: In a UN Security Council debate on climate and water scarcity, Pakistan has once again emphasised the need for strict adherence to the Indus Water Treaty.
“Increasing water demand, coupled with climate change impacts, creates the potential for trans-boundary water disputes in several parts of the world,” warned Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram while addressing the council on Tuesday.
“Pakistan attaches high priority to the strict implementation of the Indus Water Treaty and aims to reinvigorate the Indus River basin,” he said.
The Indus Water Treaty is a 1960 water-sharing agreement between Pakistan and India, facilitated by the World Bank. It allocates the waters of the Indus River system between the two countries.
Ambassador Akram pointed out that the Indus basin was the largest contiguous irrigation system globally, providing food security to over 225 million people. To reinvigorate this water body, Pakistan has launched the multi-dimensional Living Indus project.
Talking about melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern territories, he stated that those were the largest store of water, apart from the Northern and Southern ice caps.
“Extreme temperatures are melting these glaciers at an alarming rate, and this, together with heavier monsoons, leads to massive floods, like the epic floods which devastated Pakistan in 2022, causing damage over $30 billion,” he warned.
Conflicts on the rise
Ambassador Akram then warned the international community that scarcity and climate-induced disasters could lead to inter-state and intra-state conflicts.
The UNSC is currently holding a high-level debate on the impact of climate and food insecurity on the maintenance of international peace and security.
The Pakistani envoy urged the UNSC to play a more significant role by officially endorsing pledges made on climate change and sustainable development, converting them into obligatory commitments for member nations.
Ambassador Akram also emphasised the rising disputes over water at various levels, exploitation of agricultural and animal pastures by terrorist groups, and the increasing friction between neighbouring coastal countries over fisheries and fishing rights.
Emphasising the interconnectedness of climate change and conflicts, the ambassador noted that “climate change and food insecurity are enlarging and exacerbating inter-state and intra-state conflicts”.
He warned that disputes over water — at the state, sub-national, and local-community levels -- were rising, and competing claims to agricultural and animal pastures were being exploited by terrorist groups and criminal gangs.
Ambassador Akram cautioned against ‘securitising’ the climate and development agenda, emphasizing that scarcity was the root cause of conflicts, and sustainable development is the best means of conflict prevention.
He highlighted key decisions made at COP 28, including charting a pathway for a just and equitable energy transition, agreeing on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and operationalising the Loss & Damage Fund.
The Pakistani envoy, however, expressed concern over the lack of progress in reducing emissions and providing adequate climate finance. He emphasised the need for developed countries to reduce emissions by at least 43 per cent by 2030, in line with the principle of CBDR and respective capacities.
Additionally, he stressed the need for mobilising the estimated $1.5 trillion annual investment for a transition to ‘clean energy’, which remains a significant challenge.
Despite the promises, both public and private investments in sustainable infrastructure in developing countries fall short, with the $100 billion annual climate finance commitment unfulfilled.
Ambassador Akram warned that unless the commitments made at COP28 and other conferences were implemented, achieving climate goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would become almost impossible.
In a notable proposal, Munir Akram suggested that the UNSC could contribute significantly to both climate and development goals by endorsing the commitments made on climate change and sustainable development, transforming them into binding obligations.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024
“Increasing water demand, coupled with climate change impacts, creates the potential for trans-boundary water disputes in several parts of the world,” warned Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram while addressing the council on Tuesday.
“Pakistan attaches high priority to the strict implementation of the Indus Water Treaty and aims to reinvigorate the Indus River basin,” he said.
The Indus Water Treaty is a 1960 water-sharing agreement between Pakistan and India, facilitated by the World Bank. It allocates the waters of the Indus River system between the two countries.
Ambassador Akram pointed out that the Indus basin was the largest contiguous irrigation system globally, providing food security to over 225 million people. To reinvigorate this water body, Pakistan has launched the multi-dimensional Living Indus project.
Talking about melting glaciers in Pakistan’s northern territories, he stated that those were the largest store of water, apart from the Northern and Southern ice caps.
“Extreme temperatures are melting these glaciers at an alarming rate, and this, together with heavier monsoons, leads to massive floods, like the epic floods which devastated Pakistan in 2022, causing damage over $30 billion,” he warned.
Conflicts on the rise
Ambassador Akram then warned the international community that scarcity and climate-induced disasters could lead to inter-state and intra-state conflicts.
The UNSC is currently holding a high-level debate on the impact of climate and food insecurity on the maintenance of international peace and security.
The Pakistani envoy urged the UNSC to play a more significant role by officially endorsing pledges made on climate change and sustainable development, converting them into obligatory commitments for member nations.
Ambassador Akram also emphasised the rising disputes over water at various levels, exploitation of agricultural and animal pastures by terrorist groups, and the increasing friction between neighbouring coastal countries over fisheries and fishing rights.
Emphasising the interconnectedness of climate change and conflicts, the ambassador noted that “climate change and food insecurity are enlarging and exacerbating inter-state and intra-state conflicts”.
He warned that disputes over water — at the state, sub-national, and local-community levels -- were rising, and competing claims to agricultural and animal pastures were being exploited by terrorist groups and criminal gangs.
Ambassador Akram cautioned against ‘securitising’ the climate and development agenda, emphasizing that scarcity was the root cause of conflicts, and sustainable development is the best means of conflict prevention.
He highlighted key decisions made at COP 28, including charting a pathway for a just and equitable energy transition, agreeing on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), and operationalising the Loss & Damage Fund.
The Pakistani envoy, however, expressed concern over the lack of progress in reducing emissions and providing adequate climate finance. He emphasised the need for developed countries to reduce emissions by at least 43 per cent by 2030, in line with the principle of CBDR and respective capacities.
Additionally, he stressed the need for mobilising the estimated $1.5 trillion annual investment for a transition to ‘clean energy’, which remains a significant challenge.
Despite the promises, both public and private investments in sustainable infrastructure in developing countries fall short, with the $100 billion annual climate finance commitment unfulfilled.
Ambassador Akram warned that unless the commitments made at COP28 and other conferences were implemented, achieving climate goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would become almost impossible.
In a notable proposal, Munir Akram suggested that the UNSC could contribute significantly to both climate and development goals by endorsing the commitments made on climate change and sustainable development, transforming them into binding obligations.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024
Revitalising the Indus
DAWN
Editorial
IN a much-needed development for the overexploited and climate change-ravaged Indus river, the UN has included Pakistan’s Living Indus Initiative among its seven World Restoration Flagship programmes. The LII was born in 2022 out of a comprehensive consultation process, involving academia, experts, stakeholders, and provincial governments. Spearheaded by then climate minister Sherry Rehman, the initiative was ambitiously pegged as the country’s largest climate project, aimed at addressing the multifaceted environmental challenges plaguing the ‘mother of the nation’. The river’s ecological degradation has posed severe threats not only to biodiversity but also to the livelihoods of the millions who depend on it. The Indus has tragically come to be known as the second most polluted river in the world.
The LII, with its 25 priority interventions, targets a holistic restoration of the river basin. From nature-based resilience agriculture to combating industrial effluent and promoting green infrastructure, the initiative aims to revitalise the Indus, ensuring its sustainability for future generations. The UN’s involvement brings invaluable technical and financial assistance to the LII. With the UN’s backing, the LII is poised to restore over 30pc of the Indus basin by 2030. Central to the importance of the LII’s mission is the rich biodiversity of the Indus basin. It is home to 195 mammal species, at least 668 bird species, and over 150 fish species, including 22 endemic ones and the endangered Indus blind dolphin. These species, many of which are unique to the region, are in urgent need of concerted efforts to protect and restore their habitats. As we welcome the global recognition and support for the LII, it is imperative to remember the stakes involved. The health of the Indus river is intrinsically linked to the prosperity of Pakistan and the well-being of its people. It is one of our most critical natural resources and must be jealously protected. Our survival depends on it.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024
Editorial
IN a much-needed development for the overexploited and climate change-ravaged Indus river, the UN has included Pakistan’s Living Indus Initiative among its seven World Restoration Flagship programmes. The LII was born in 2022 out of a comprehensive consultation process, involving academia, experts, stakeholders, and provincial governments. Spearheaded by then climate minister Sherry Rehman, the initiative was ambitiously pegged as the country’s largest climate project, aimed at addressing the multifaceted environmental challenges plaguing the ‘mother of the nation’. The river’s ecological degradation has posed severe threats not only to biodiversity but also to the livelihoods of the millions who depend on it. The Indus has tragically come to be known as the second most polluted river in the world.
The LII, with its 25 priority interventions, targets a holistic restoration of the river basin. From nature-based resilience agriculture to combating industrial effluent and promoting green infrastructure, the initiative aims to revitalise the Indus, ensuring its sustainability for future generations. The UN’s involvement brings invaluable technical and financial assistance to the LII. With the UN’s backing, the LII is poised to restore over 30pc of the Indus basin by 2030. Central to the importance of the LII’s mission is the rich biodiversity of the Indus basin. It is home to 195 mammal species, at least 668 bird species, and over 150 fish species, including 22 endemic ones and the endangered Indus blind dolphin. These species, many of which are unique to the region, are in urgent need of concerted efforts to protect and restore their habitats. As we welcome the global recognition and support for the LII, it is imperative to remember the stakes involved. The health of the Indus river is intrinsically linked to the prosperity of Pakistan and the well-being of its people. It is one of our most critical natural resources and must be jealously protected. Our survival depends on it.
Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2024
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