ISLAMABAD, Tuesday, July 22, 2025 : Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal issued a stark warning on Tuesday, declaring that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a terrifying present-day reality already wreaking havoc on vulnerable countries like Pakistan.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the high-level policy dialogue \u201cFrom Planning to PRACTICE: Advancing Climate Resilience in Pakistan,\u201d the minister underscored the urgent need for both national action and international accountability to combat the worsening climate crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cClimate change is not a hypothesis. It is a lived reality\u2014impacting our environment, economy, and the very future of our people,\u201d he said, pointing to Pakistan\u2019s exposure to extreme weather events, glacier melt, and rising food insecurity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Referring to the devastating 2022 floods, which submerged a third of the country, displaced millions, and caused economic damage in the billions, Iqbal called the disaster \u201ca harrowing testament to a planet in crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese floods weren\u2019t a fluke. They were a warning. Our planet is changing\u2014and fast,\u201d he added, warning of erratic weather patterns, vanishing glaciers, and growing threats to Pakistan\u2019s food and water security.<\/p>\n
Iqbal highlighted that Pakistan, home to over 7,000 glaciers, is witnessing the fastest glacial melt in over six decades, endangering the Indus River system, which supports 90% of the country\u2019s agricultural output. \u201cThe melting glaciers are not just environmental losses\u2014they are existential threats,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n
The minister also called out developed nations for failing to deliver on their $100 billion annual climate finance pledge, emphasizing that such support is not charity, but an obligation. \u201cThe world has long asked the Global South to \u2018Do More.\u2019 Today, we demand: \u2018Do More\u2019 from the Global North\u2014for climate justice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reiterating Pakistan\u2019s commitment to climate action, Iqbal said that climate resilience has been embedded in the country\u2019s long-term development strategy, particularly within the national 5Es framework\u2014focusing on Exports, E-Pakistan, Environment, Energy, and Equity.<\/p>\n
He urged international stakeholders to match their rhetoric with resources, noting that the window to avert climate catastrophe is rapidly closing. \u201cEnvironmental justice is no longer optional\u2014it is essential for a just and sustainable future for all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Tuesday, July 22, 2025 : Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal issued a stark warning on Tuesday, declaring that climate change is no longer a distant threat but a terrifying present-day reality already wreaking havoc on vulnerable countries like Pakistan. Speaking at the high-level policy dialogue \u201cFrom Planning to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-climate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}