LAHORE: Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, the senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court, on Monday asserted that climate finance is, in essence, climate justice.

He said Pakistan is facing a climate emergency, but no substantial work has been done regarding climate change in the last seven years, despite court orders.

Justice Shah was speaking at the inaugural session on climate justice of the Pathways to Development Conference organised by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).

He emphasised that fighting the climate emergency is impossible without nature financing. “Climate finance is the new climate justice,” he added.

Justice Shah regrets court directives ignored during last seven years

He highlighted the need to address factors such as food security, disaster management, and water security.

He said while courts issued directions in various cases, no action was taken on the ground. He expressed hope that climate financing in Pakistan could bring security and act as a beacon of hope for the people.

Justice Shah stressed that climate justice fundamentally falls under human rights and its protection necessitates a focus on climate financing. He said Pakistan must address its administrative challenges and recognises climate finance as a basic right, considering its role in combating pollution and improving biodiversity.

He regretted that Pakistan is the eighth most-affected country by climate change, but administrative issues persist. He criticised the lack of focus, saying the country is chasing distractions.

However, he acknowledged that courts have always taken climate emergency cases seriously.

Referring to measures such as shutting down industries in the 1990s within the cities, he questioned who would ensure implementation of the decision.

Justice Shah said a law was enacted in 2017 to address environmental changes, but no authority had been established to date. He expressed optimism that an authority might be formed soon. Under the 2017 law, a fund was supposed to be created, but it has not been mentioned in the budget either.

To a query from the audience about suo motu notices taken by the Supreme Court in the past, the judge said: “We do not have the suo motu powers anymore.”

Land rights

Speaking at the second session of the conference on the security of land rights, Advocate General of Punjab (AGP) Khalid Ishaq lamented the absence of developing a master plan other than Lahore district.

He said thousands of acres of agricultural land in almost all districts of Punjab had been consumed by urbanisation and that, too, without any analysis of the basic housing need.

He regretted that amenity plots were being converted into residential plots even in developed housing schemes.

He called for further improvement in land acquisition laws to protect the green areas.

Mr Ishaq said a majority of housing schemes were unapproved and illegal in central Punjab.

He also shared the progress being made in digitisation of land records by the government in the province.

Punjab Land Record Authority Director General Ikramul Haq, Federal Ombudsperson Fauzia Viqar and others also spoke on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2024