ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, has cautioned that the Global South cannot endure another climate summit of “slogans without substance,” stressing that the crisis is real and existential for vulnerable nations.
Delivering keynote addresses at the London School of Economics Environment Week on the Road to COP30, she said: “Our house is burning. As micro-emitters, many developing countries did not create this ball of fire, yet we are paying the highest price.”
Rehman called for urgent reforms in climate financing, arguing that 94 percent of global climate funds still flow into mitigation—most of it to the Global North—while adaptation remains sidelined. “This system is broken, as is the promise,” she remarked, urging COP leaders to back words with action, deliver financing as pledged, and prioritize adaptation.
She pressed for clarity in defining climate finance, warning against double-counted aid or loans disguised as climate commitments. “Just as NDCs are reported annually, there should be Internationally Determined Contributions (IDCs) on finance,” she proposed.
Highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerabilities, she noted the country has faced consecutive summers hitting 53°C, underscoring that the 1.5°C target is no longer viable as the world races toward 2.5–3°C warming. She criticized the Bretton Woods system for drowning climate-hit nations in debt and described the climate journey of developing countries as “Sisyphean.”
Despite these grim realities, Rehman expressed cautious optimism, pointing to a surge in global investment in renewables—$2 trillion last year—even as fossil fuels still enjoy $7 trillion in subsidies. Pakistan, she said, has already achieved 25 percent renewable generation domestically.
She concluded with a stark reminder: “COP30 cannot be another ritual of speeches and pledges. Delay is measured not in negotiation rounds, but in lost lives and erased futures. For those of us already living in the furnace, this COP must deliver more than any before it.”
