International Climate Change Policy: Political and Economic Underpinnings and Pakistans Policy Response for Sustainable Development

Pakistan is a developing state confronted with the adverse implications of global climate change in presence of its weak economic and institutional infrastructure. The dual task of adapting to negative climate effects and transform its development model to efficient and renewable sources of energy in accordance with the long-term goal of Paris Climate Agreement (2015) is much demanding if not impossible. Global climate change is the sudden transformation, a push, to the natural climate induced by excessive unwise exploitation of natural environment since industrialization.Modern technological civilization for its powering is largely relying on fossil fuels, injecting the largest stores of CO2 into climate. Excessive addition of this heat trapping gas is upsetting the natural greenhouse effect, increased earth surface temperature, a phenomenon termed global warming. Consequently, a torrent of negative climate impacts is unleashed like disruption of hydrological cycle, rapid melting of glaciers and intense and unpredictable weather patterns. These rapid climate variations are constraining human life with crucial implications for the vital sources of livelihood and development: water, food and energy. Pakistan since last decade has witnessed severe floods and intense weather patterns resulting in losses of human life and infrastructure, undermining its crop yields, compounding its existing problems and challenging its fragile governance structure. Fundamentally, a one river based agriculture economy; global climate change could eventually exhaust Pakistan’s freshwater resources and reduce irrigation water for its arid lands. Such constraints could lead to mass migration, inter and intra-state conflict for water sharing, and emergence of strong intransigent societies against state. Pakistan requires adapting to these adverse climate changes and effectively contributes to goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, 2015 without compromising on its economic development. The Paris Climate Agreement is an outcome of an extended decades old contentious politics of the developed global North and developing global South, the fossils fuel based economies and climate threatened low lying and small island states. By setting a goal of keeping earth surface temperature below 2°C and achieve net-zero emissions by mid of the century, this agreement seeks nationally determined contributions from each state and financial and technological support of the developed states to the developing states in actualizing climate resilient clean development. Pakistan National Climate Change Policy (2012) is centered on achieving sustainable development through climate resilient development. However, actualizing climate resilient development demands specific measurable and achievable targets regarding mitigation and adaptation with well-coordinated institutional structure of monitoring and facilitation from the center and a well informed and resourceful climate response structure at the local level. Such an integrated and inclusive approach exists in policy frames but not effectively mainstreamed in the institutional structure.