\u00a0At the Pre-COP30 Pak\u2013C2 Energy Transition Dialogue organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Senator Sherry Rehman, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, called for a bold regional approach to achieving a just and inclusive energy transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking as Chief Guest, Senator Rehman emphasized that the Pakistan\u2013C2 region \u2014 Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan \u2014 with a combined population of 308.25 million and GDP of US$848 billion (IMF) \u2014 has the scale, capacity, and shared challenges to lead the global South in defining a collective transition pathway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe must dream the same green dream,\u201d said Senator Rehman. \u201cThis transition cannot happen in silos. Pakistan, and Central Asia must bargain collectively, build regional consensus, and move forward together in this defining decade.We hope to meet the challenge at multilateral forums together \u2014 not in isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She emphasised \u201c\u201cDomestic climate governance responsibilities cannot be confused with climate justice at the multilateral level. The world must not ask the most climate-vulnerable nations to carry the burden of others\u2019 emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She further said \u201cAnger at inaction at home should not stop the search for climate justice at global forums as sharing of responsibility was the whole point of climate politics, especially after Paris\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman underscored that the global energy system remains dangerously unbalanced, with fossil fuels still receiving US$7 trillion in subsidies annually, despite record deployment of renewables. \u201cThe world is adding renewables but not replacing fossil fuels,\u201d she said. \u201cThis dual expansion is pushing frontline countries like Pakistan \u2014 where temperatures have reached 53\u00b0C \u2014 closer to the brink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She warned that developing countries are \u201cpaying rent with human costs\u201d for emissions they did not cause. \u201cPakistan emits less than 1% of global GHG emissions,\u201d she reminded, \u201cyet it bears the brunt of climate disasters, with floods, droughts, and crop losses eating into lives and livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senator Rehman drew attention to the International Energy Agency\u2019s (IEA) estimate that the world needs US$4.5 trillion per year in clean energy investments by 2030 to stay below 1.5\u00b0C. Developing countries, she said, face high capital costs, limited de-risking tools, and fragmented institutions, all of which constrain the energy shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cClimate finance is not charity \u2014 it is justice,\u201d Rehman stressed. \u201cWe must decolonize our thinking and demand equity in the global energy transition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan, she noted, has already updated its NDCs 3.0, seeking US$565.7 billion in climate finance by 2035, to cut its emissions from 2.559 billion tons to 1.28 billion tons. Between 2021 and 2025, the country achieved a 37% emissions reduction \u2014 without significant external aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also cautioned that domestic reforms must align with transition goals. \u201cOur new net-metering policy, if not carefully designed, could disincentivize solarisation,\u201d she said, referring to Pakistan\u2019s aging grid, capacity payments, and inefficiencies. \u201cYet despite these challenges, Pakistan remains among the sixth most solarised markets globally \u2014 a testament to our people\u2019s innovation and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calling for structured regional collaboration, Senator Rehman proposed the creation of a \u201cPak\u2013C2 Regional Energy Transition Taskforce\u201d to coordinate cross-border action and unlock shared opportunities. The Taskforce, she suggested, should focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Joint R&D in renewable technologies and green hydrogen;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Regional grid integration under CASA-1000 and other corridors;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Unified green finance frameworks to attract large-scale climate investment; and<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Transparent tariff and policy mechanisms to ensure predictability for investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTechnology offers common ground where politics falters,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen regions move together, critical mass becomes power \u2014 and that\u2019s how real change happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She underscored that Pakistan and Uzbekistan have pledged carbon neutrality by 2050, while Kazakhstan \u2014 a manufacturing powerhouse \u2014 can play a leading role in low-emission industrial processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis debate must connect to our lived realities,\u201d she said. \u201cEnergy justice and climate finance are not distant ideals \u2014 they are about the right to a liveable future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPakistanis are problem-solvers,\u201d Senator Rehman concluded. \u201cGive us one enabling policy \u2014 and we build, we fix, we innovate. That\u2019s the hope we take to COP30.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0At the Pre-COP30 Pak\u2013C2 Energy Transition Dialogue organized by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Senator Sherry Rehman, Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, called for a bold regional approach to achieving a just and inclusive energy transition. Speaking as Chief Guest, Senator Rehman emphasized that the Pakistan\u2013C2 region […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[242],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n