Islamabad, January 21st 2021: 19th meeting of the Standing Committee on Climate Change has been held today under the Chairpersonship of Ms. Munaza Hassan, MNA.
The detailed briefing was given by the Ministry of Climate Change on Paris Agreement and National Determined Contributions (NDC) revision. The secretary of MoCC briefs that the 2nd NDC is in advanced stage and will be submitted to UNFCCC before the November 2021 COP 26 Conference on Climate Change.
Pakistan in the revised NDCs is aiming to highlight the projects Pakistan has conducted with its indigenous resources in the last five years. The 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Project is one of the most significant examples. Pakistan is using its funds to plant 10 Billion Trees, which will enhance the carbon sink of Pakistan and hence, reduce the emissions. Also, many renewable energy projects have been initiated, which will also reduce projected emissions. Furthermore, many institutional and government initiatives have been taken to address climate change, which includes E-Vehicle Policy, Renewable Energy Policy, Clean Green Pakistan Project, Eco-system Restoration Initiative, Carbon market initiatives, Green Stimulus, etc. Keeping in view the recommendations from the concerned agencies, some new sectors were also identified that were not part of the first Pak-NDCs e.g. Youth, health, blue carbon, etc. The revised NDCs will be firming a ‘whole-of-government’ approach to revising, reviewing, and reporting on climate action. The document will emphasize institutional arrangements and governance approaches, increasing the participation of state, and non-state actors as part of a ‘whole-of-society’ approach.
The NDC revision process is being overlooked by National Steering Committee (NSC), chaired by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change, which administers the project and provides oversight to the process, review, and approval. The revised NDCs will be divided into two main sections, i.e., Mitigation and Adaptation, for each, a Technical Committee is formulated which is further divided into thematic working groups, including relevant stakeholders and line ministries, and provincial department for coordination. The Mitigation technical group is being led by the National Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (NEECA) and the adaptation group is being led by the Federal Flood Commission, Ministry of Water Resources (FFC-MoWR). Global Change Impact Studies Centre GCISC will evaluate the recommendations submitted by both the committees and develop scenarios for finalizing the recommendations.
The process has been impacted by the pandemic and some consultation efforts were also delayed. However, the virtual media was used to continue the consultations and as soon as the situation is settled, the activities will resume as planned. MoCC is now in the phase of compiling the revised document which will be submitted to the Government of Pakistan for approval.
