ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Dr Musadik Malik on Sunday urged the international community to scale up climate finance and technology support for vulnerable nations, warning that sustainable climate action in the Global South remained impossible without fair and predictable funding.

Speaking via a keynote video message at the high-level Climate Finance Dialogue, held on the sidelines of COP30 in Belem, Brazil, Dr Malik underlined that countries like Pakistan faced the harshest impacts of climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions. The event brought together climate finance specialists and representatives of major multilateral development banks to discuss practical financing pathways for at-risk nations.

A statement issued by the ministry said that Dr Malik noted that Pakistan sat at the base of more than 13,000 glaciers feeding the Indus River system, the backbone of the country’s ecology, agriculture and economy, making it exceptionally vulnerable to rising temperatures and glacial melt. “Despite contributing less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan remains among the most climate-vulnerable countries,” he said. “Climate justice must accompany climate finance if developing nations are to safeguard their people and economies.”

Reaffirming Pakistan’s climate commitments, the minister highlighted ongoing initiatives under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), including achieving 60pc renewable energy by 2030 and restoring ecosystems through programmes such as the Living Indus Initiative and Recharge Pakistan. However, he cautioned that domestic efforts alone cannot bridge the massive financing gap.

He stressed the need to operationalise mechanisms like the Loss and Damage Fund with accessible and predictable funding for high-risk markets, noting that vulnerable countries often struggled to secure resources or recognition in global forums. “We must push for inclusive reforms to the international financial architecture to unlock meaningful climate finance,” he said, urging international institutions to ease access to adaptation technologies and support capacity-building across the Global South.

Dr Malik also warned that a large share of global climate finance was repurposed from essential development loans for education, health and other social sectors, forcing developing countries to confront climate disasters at the expense of long-term progress.

Calling for genuine global commitment, he said adaptation and resilience were unattainable without fair support. “Pakistan is committed to a green transition, but partnership and equitable climate finance are essential for developing economies to advance,” he added.

The dialogue concluded with a renewed call for stronger international cooperation, transparent financing mechanisms and targeted support for climate-vulnerable nations to meet global climate goals.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2025