Pakistan, US partner to address Climate Crisis & enhance resilience

Washington DC, 1 February 2023 (TDI): Masood Khan, the Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States (US), participated in a webinar that was hosted by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Adam Weinstein, a Research Fellow in the Quincy Institute’s Middle East Program, moderated the webinar titled “What Pakistan’s Climate Crisis Means for the World.”

Ambassador Masood Khan while addressing the participants of the webinar, emphasized the significance of a Pak-US partnership in transitioning to renewable energy.

In this vein, he stressed that the development of resilience and disaster adaptation would be greatly aided by the use of renewable energy, especially wind and solar power.

Moreover, the Ambassador also thanked the international community for its support at the Geneva International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan along with appreciating the US government for providing $200 million in aid for flood relief.

Likewise, Ambassador Masood Khan highlighted the Federal Government of Pakistan’s dedication to accountability and transparency in the use of flood relief.

In order to protect nations like Pakistan from further devastation, he also urged the international community to finance the Loss & Damage Fund established by COP27 and to support climate justice.

Furthermore, he underscored that extreme weather patterns & unpredictable climate may have contributed to the recent devastating floods in Pakistan.

He also predicted during the webinar that other countries in South Asia and around the world would soon face comparable difficulties.

Ambassador Khan came to the conclusion that parliaments needed to be persuaded of the difficulties presented by the issue because they were conservative and divided.

While Steve Rynecki, the Director of USAID’s Office of Climate and Sustainable Growth on his part, discussed the US’s efforts to assist Pakistan in strengthening its resilience to droughts and floods.

In this vein, he highlighted programmes like the Green Alliance, Water Resource Management, and Climate-Smart Agriculture to assist Pakistan in efficiently managing its resources for growth and development.