The fight against climate change has reached the customs border. While wealthier nations accelerate their transition to green energy, they are increasingly concerned about "carbon leakage". These nations fears that carbon-intensive industries will simply move production to countries with weaker environmental regulations to avoid high domestic carbon costs.
Despite being a low emitter, Pakistan ranks 8th on the Global Climate Risk Index. Pakistan needs $348B by 2030 in climate finance, to build resilience against Himalayan glacier melt and Indus floods. The COP29 New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) must deliver grant-based, debt-free financing to stabilize this vulnerable economy and uphold global climate justice.
In our relentless pursuit of the new, the faster, and the smarter, we’ve collectively paved a digital superhighway of innovation. Yet, beneath the gleam of every new smartphone, ultra-thin laptop, and AI-powered gadget, lies a burgeoning shadow: the global e-waste dump.
The smog crisis is more than a health emergency. It is in fact a financial catastrophe. It costs the nation 7% of its total GDP roughly translating into a 'Trillion Rupee Economic Drain' annually.
