Germany pledges €120m for fighting climate change to Pakistan

BERLIN: Germany has pledged to provide €120 million to Pakistan in assistance to fight climate change and enhance country’s renewable energy infrastructure, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The pledge was made during a bilateral meeting between Federal Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman and delegation from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), led by Federal Minister Svenja Schulze, at the sidelines of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue happening in Berlin, Germany.

During the meeting, the two sides engaged in discussions aimed at exploring and enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries on climate adaptation and mitigation measures, a news release said.

The focus of the meeting was on three main areas: better protection against flooding, enhancing Pakistan’s renewable energy infrastructure, and expanding social safety support programs to assist vulnerable communities facing climate shocks.

Federal Minister Schulze pledged that Germany would provide Pakistan with €120 million in assistance to support these initiatives.

Minister Rehman expressed her gratitude to Germany for supporting Pakistan through the Climate Energy initiative. This initiative has supported a range of activities, including climate risk assessments, sub-national climate risk profiling, mainstreaming climate education into higher education, and capacity building for finance mobilization.

Minister Rehman recognised Germany’s contribution to these initiatives as being critical in enabling Pakistan to adapt to the impacts of climate change and build a more resilient future.

Minister Schulze emphasised the importance of continuing to mobilise resources for preventive and corrective measures, as well as improving Pakistan’s capacity for climate mitigation and adaptation.

She highlighted that while technical solutions were critical for mitigating climate change, it was equally important to prepare societies to better cope with extreme weather in the future by incorporating social solutions into the system.

Minister Schulze reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in these efforts and expressed optimism about the progress that can be made through continued cooperation between the two countries.

The Ministers also explored opportunities for collaboration under the umbrella of the Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative. Led by Germany and introduced at COP27 in partnership with the Vulnerable Twenty Group (V20) and the G7, this initiative aims to protect vulnerable developing countries and populations from the impacts of climate change.

Pakistan is one of the “pathfinder countries” where activities will first be rolled out to improve disaster response and preparedness, as well as social security systems in the event of a climate disaster.

The discussion concluded with potential areas for future cooperation, including exploring the prospects of green hydrogen as a means to achieve energy security in Pakistan.

The Ministers expressed optimism about the potential for continued collaboration between Germany and Pakistan to advance efforts in combating the impacts of climate change and building a more sustainable future for all.