ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman has called for an integrated approach to climate action, energy security and technological development, warning that climate change, artificial intelligence (AI) and geopolitical instability are increasingly interconnected challenges requiring coordinated global responses.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking as the chief guest at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) event titled “Strengthening Climate Action” on November 2, Senator Rehman said the world was entering an era of unprecedented disruption, making it necessary for countries to move beyond fragmented policies and rethink their approaches to development, technology and resource security.
Referring to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report, she said its findings should serve as a wake-up call for governments worldwide. Under current policies, global temperatures are projected to rise by approximately 2.8°C by 2100, while full implementation of existing national climate commitments would still result in around 2.6°C of warming.
She said Pakistan was already facing the consequences of this widening gap between climate ambitions and actual action, remaining trapped in a recurring cycle of disasters and recovery, with increasingly limited time and resources to rebuild.
Recalling the devastating floods of 2022, Rehman said Pakistan’s cumulative climate-related economic losses over the past three decades were estimated at $59 billion, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.
“Climate justice cannot mean asking vulnerable countries to find their own solutions while the global economic system continues to reward high emissions,” she said, pointing out that fossil fuel subsidies had been estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at approximately $7 trillion.
She argued that countries contributing relatively little to global emissions were bearing a disproportionate share of the consequences, including poverty, food insecurity, land degradation and water shortages.
AI’s Growing Energy and Environmental Footprint
Describing the current period as an era of major global transformation, Rehman said artificial intelligence was fundamentally changing how societies function, consume resources and exercise economic and political power.
However, she cautioned that AI should not be viewed merely as a digital technology, as its development and operation depend on extensive physical infrastructure with significant environmental implications.
“AI requires electricity, water, land and raw materials. We talk about its convenience, but we do not adequately understand the resources being consumed to sustain it,” she said.
She highlighted the lack of transparency surrounding the energy and water requirements of data centres and supercomputing facilities, warning that the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure could create additional pressure on already strained natural resources.
Citing International Energy Agency estimates, she said AI-related emissions were estimated at between 33 million and 80 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, while individual large data centres could consume approximately 19 million litres of water daily for cooling.
Solar Expansion and Energy Independence
Rehman stressed that reducing Pakistan’s dependence on imported fossil fuels was essential for strengthening the country’s economic independence and energy sovereignty.
She said Pakistan had imported more than 50 gigawatts of solar panels worth nearly $18 billion over approximately five years, significantly accelerating the country’s transition towards renewable energy.
According to her, the growing adoption of solar energy had helped save more than $12 billion in fuel imports since 2018, including $6.3 billion in 2025.
She identified energy storage and battery technology as the next major priority for Pakistan’s energy transition, calling for a comprehensive “storage and battery revolution”.
Rehman emphasised the need to modernise the country’s ageing electricity grid, expand distributed renewable energy systems and increase investment in battery storage to improve the reliability and efficiency of the power sector.
She also called for accelerating electric mobility through the development of charging infrastructure and greater support for electric two- and three-wheelers.
Integrated Policies Needed to Address Resource Challenges
Warning about growing global resource scarcity, Rehman said water, energy, food and land were becoming increasingly interconnected with geopolitical tensions.
She observed that climate pressures, technological disruption and the emergence of a changing multipolar global order required governments to adopt integrated policymaking rather than addressing individual challenges in isolation.
She urged policymakers, researchers, businesses and citizens to focus on practical and achievable solutions, stressing that Pakistan had the potential not only to address its own energy vulnerabilities but also to contribute to broader global efforts towards climate resilience and sustainable development.
