Pakistan highlights global inequities in climate finance at COP30

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called for stronger international commitments to address the rapid decline of the Himalayan–Karakoram–Hindukush (HKH) cryosphere, warning that the consequences of accelerated glacier melt are already being felt across the region.

In a video message to a side event on Cryosphere Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, Pakistan’s Climate Minister Dr. Musadik Malik described the HKH range as the “white rooftops of the world” and a lifeline for millions across South Asia.

Pakistan, he noted, is home to around 13,000 glaciers that feed the Indus River system and underpin the nation’s food security, economy and ecosystems.

Dr Malik said climate-driven glacier melt was proceeding at an unprecedented pace, leading to increasing hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods.

He also pointed to global inequities in climate finance, arguing that a handful of major emitters contribute most to global carbon pollution while also receiving the bulk of green financing.

He urged countries with historic emissions responsibility to support adaptation efforts in vulnerable mountain regions and called for elevating the cryosphere agenda at COP30.

The session, organised by Pakistan’s climate ministry in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), also featured officials from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Nepal, Bhutan, and representatives from UNESCO, UNDP, and the Asian Development Bank.

Earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom grabbed the spotlight Tuesday and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the fossil fuel agenda of his political nemesis.

The well-coiffed Democrat — seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate — blasted Trump for twice leaving the Paris climate accord and for “doubling down on stupid” through his support of Big Oil.

Newsom said a future Democratic administration would rejoin the Paris Agreement “without hesitation.”