Federal Cabinet approves Pakistan’s first National adaptation plan
Chitral Times Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s momentous journey towards climate resilience reached a significant milestone with the Federal Cabinet’s unanimous approval of the Climate and Environment Ministry’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for Pakistan. The NAP is a framework for implementing large-scale environmental adaptation, building climate resilience, promoting inclusivity, and facilitating collaboration among different stakeholders, and serves as an effective tool for climate finance mobilization.
This initiative marks a big step forward in Pakistan’s commitment to combat the challenges posed by climate change. The Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman spearheaded the efforts for the approval of the NAP from the cabinet. She said, “Pakistan is now on the world’s radar as a flashing hotspot for climate disasters, and when your house is on fire, one has to take responsibility. After the 2022 mega-flood impacted 33 million people of Pakistan and broke all records of monsoon flooding anywhere in the world, a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) became an urgent need for the country. In the long journey towards rehabilitation and rebuilding resilience for one-third of the country, the MoCC&EC took up the challenge of completing it in an accelerated timeframe. Given the existential nature of climate change as a non-traditional security threat to Pakistan, it is imperative for all of us to prepare diligently and act proactively,” said the Minister. She continued, “The NAP is a framework, and a beginning of an adaptation journey, not the end of the road. Our job is to identify who needs to implement which part of this plan, as it takes a whole of country approach.
The document outlines for the federal ministries what they need to do and how they have to change their development planning, and every focal ministry must act to climate-proof its actions and strategies. Similarly, the provinces will form the heart of the execution of this plan, along with local bodies.” Pakistan’s NAP process has been effectively guided by ten essential guidelines which are integrating climate adaptation, strategic thinking, evidence-based decision-making, promoting nature-based solutions, acting locally, leaving no one behind, thinking ahead and staying flexible, addressing inequity, fostering coordination and collaboration, and building capacity and knowledge.
These guidelines have enabled Pakistan to craft a robust and inclusive adaptation strategy, ensuring resilience in the face of climate challenges and a sustainable future for the nation. The priorities that this Plan addresses flow out of an assessment of potential impacts on multiple sectors, many of which have already withstood an existential erosion in their lifeline functions and capacities. The first sectoral priority is the agriculture-water nexus, as it is critical to Pakistan’s entire social, economic, and adaptive trajectory, with recurring hydromet crises and looming scarcity a real possibility. Agriculture sector accounts for 20 percent of GDP and 40 percent of the labour force and is the major source of subsistence and livelihood for the rural population. The adaptation strategies will focus on incentivizing farmers for climate-smart practices, modernizing irrigation services, devising a long-term agriculture growth strategy, and managing river flow variability under climate scenarios.
The second priority is Natural Capital, which contributes an estimated 13-15 percent to Pakistan’s per capita wealth, however rising temperatures and prolonged droughts contribute to deforestation, forest degradation, and an increase in wildfires, altering ecosystems which result in biodiversity loss. Currently, Pakistan ranks among the top-ten countries in the world most impacted by the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Adaptation strategies include mainstreaming sustainable land management, promoting integrated watershed management, improving water quality through better wastewater management, investing in coastal and marine resources, and addressing the air pollution-climate change nexus. The third priority is Urban Resilience, given that Pakistan is among the most urbanized countries in South Asia, with 38 percent of its population living in urban areas. It continues to see rapid urbanization in line with its population growth. Urbanization is expected to further increase due to climate-induced migration. Urban areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change risks. Flood hazards are projected to increase, with primary cities (notably Lahore and Karachi) having the highest exposure to urban flooding. Adaptation strategies will focus on mainstreaming climate adaptation across all levels of government, improving land regulation, bolstering climate-smart municipal services, leveraging nature-based solutions for climate risks, and developing financing instruments for green urbanization.
The fourth priority is Pakistan’s Human Capital, as population current indicators are a cause of concern, requiring urgent attention. The youth cohort of Pakistan is growing, extreme climate events impede access to basic health and education services, give rise to malnutrition and life-threatening diseases, and diminish both opportunities but also the economic productivity of labour force, leading to reduced incomes, financial instability, and further exposure to poverty and hardship. “ any child who grew up in a disaster camp will forever be shaped by that experience.”The key adaptation strategies will be mainstreaming climate adaptation in health and education policies, enhancing climate resilience through disaster emergency preparedness and response, and building workforce capacities to address and adapt to climate risks.
The fifth but a very significant priority is enhancing Disaster Risk Management (DRM). Lessons learnt from the 2022 mega flood make modernizing DRM crucial for the adaptation imperatives of Pakistan. The key adaptation strategies will focus on understanding climate and disaster risk through advanced early warning systems and data-driven analysis, strengthening disaster risk governance with clear policies and coordination mechanisms, investing in risk reduction for community and infrastructure resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and “Build Back Better” with risk-informed approaches in recovery and reconstruction. The focus on the priorities above will not only yield significant advancements in their respective domains but also bring about cross-cutting benefits in critical areas such as Gender, Youth, and Social Inclusion.
Climate change poses disproportionate challenges for marginalized groups with limited capacity to respond and recover, especially those on the frontline of the climate crisis. As a result, investments in the prioritized sectors will significantly benefit our youth, women, and marginalized communities. The process for developing the NAP has been entirely home-grown, country-driven and embedded in rigorous consultations at several levels, especially the related federal ministries, and the provinces, who will undertake the coordination of mainstreaming adaptation measures at the local levels. “The assessments are built on local knowledge and lessons learned of adaptation needs at the cross-sectoral and human levels. None of these are by any means exhaustive, but instead focus on a first roadmap of actions and changes needed in our development knowledge, planning and resourcing.
The successful implementation of the NAP demands more than just the efforts of a single Ministry; instead, it calls for a whole-of-country approach with local government at the core of adaptation. Every Ministry and Provincial Department (including GB and AJK) must now actively create and update their plans, aligning with the pathway outlined in the NAP. Ministries should also focus on climate budget tagging that involves categorizing and tracking climate-related expenditures within the budgetary process and assess effectiveness of funds devoted to climate adaptation initiatives, driving informed decision-making for a greener and climate-resilient future.
It is essential for sectors and provinces to assess their specific needs and initiatives systematically and present bankable projects, fostering a shift in mindset that prioritizes the integration of adaptation and resilience guidelines into development, social, and economic planning,” the Minister emphasized. Minister Rehman said that the NAP is embedded in the philosophy that all human accomplishment begins with a hope and a prayer but needs a strategy to translate vision into reality. She also appreciated the work done by the dedicated core team at the MoCC&EC, and acknowledged the technical support provided by World Bank’s team in Pakistan. “All team members worked night and day in its last stages particularly, to fulfil our government’s commitment to giving Pakistan a National Adaptation Plan to meet the ongoing life-altering challenge of climate stress to our people.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for their constant support of all climate-adaptive endeavors both at home and abroad. Our hope is that Pakistan seizes an opportunity to rebuild with real resilience and become a leader in creating climate adaptive futures from the burning soil of extreme climate adversity. The climate clock is ticking for all, so this is a Plan to scaffold that hope,” the Minister concluded.
