JUNE is an important month for environmental action. The 5th of June hosts World Environment Day, and the annual Bonn Conference on climate change is held in the same month. This year also saw active participation from governments, the public and international organizations in these significant events, amidst reports of historic heatwaves across the northern hemisphere. What distinguishes each passing year from the previous ones is the trend of setting new records for the hottest months and years since temperature measurements began. According to NASA and the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2023 was confirmed as the hottest year since global record-keeping began in 1850. The last four years have been the hottest, with May 2024 recorded as the warmest May in history, and June expected to follow suit. We are all living in a climate crisis, and every June serves as a stark reminder that we have not done enough as guardians of the planet to avert this crisis.
Bonn, the headquarters of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hosts the secretariat of the international treaty fighting climate change. Apart from the annual Conference of the Parties (COP), the Bonn climate change conference is the only global event held by the UNFCCC. It serves as the mid-year meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies, convened between two COPs. It is a platform where countries advance their discussions at a technical level, laying the groundwork for crucial political decisions at the annual Conference of the Parties (COP) later in the year. This year’s discussions in Bonn focused on the financial crisis faced by developing countries to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Developed countries have failed to meet their 2020 commitment to mobilize USD 100 billion in climate action under the Paris Agreement. Developing countries, already burdened with debt, urged the Global North to take responsibility for climate change as major polluters. The COP this year aims to finalize a new global climate finance goal, ensuring all countries have the financial resources to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The deadlock on how to generate funds for drastic climate action still persists and is expected to be a major point of contention in the upcoming COP.
While much has been discussed about land-based adaptation and mitigation to climate change, ocean resources remain largely untapped in their potential for blue solutions, especially in developing countries. Unsustainable use of ocean resources has degraded coastal ecosystems, compromising their ability to mitigate climate change and increasing the vulnerability of coastal communities to climate disasters. The Ocean and Climate Dialogue, a regular feature of the conference since 2020, highlights the importance of oceans in achieving global climate goals and supporting vulnerable coastal communities. It has called for the conservation and utilization of ocean resources for climate action, such as including ocean resources in NDCs and developing National Adaptation Plans for oceans and coastal preservation. This year’s dialogue, focusing on “Technology needs for the ocean – climate action, including finance links,” garnered significant interest from the developing world due to their financial constraints.
This year’s World Environment Day theme, “Land Restoration, Desertification and Drought Resilience,” resonated with Pakistan as it grapples with numerous environmental challenges related to land degradation, unplanned development, and overexploitation of natural resources. However, coastal erosion and degradation of coastal ecosystems are often overlooked in Pakistan. Land degradation in coastal regions, exacerbated by climate change and human activities, alongside the increasing frequency of storms and rising sea levels, is leading to coastal erosion. These pressures are impacting the livelihoods of coastal communities, who are struggling for survival in these delicate ecosystems. Pakistan has received global acclaim for its achievement in mangrove restoration along its coastal belt, increasing mangrove cover from 86,000 hectares in 2005 to over 130,000 hectares in 2021, with continuous growth. To achieve a sustainable future, Pakistan must commit to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a roadmap. A centralized approach is crucial, requiring a dedicated national-level task force to coordinate and integrate SDGs into all policies. Global debates in Bonn emphasized that developing countries cannot match the pace of developed countries in climate adaptation and SDGs due to fiscal constraints. Nevertheless, SDG 17, “Revitalizing the global partnership for sustainable development,” underscores that developing countries like Pakistan must utilize international financial instruments such as “SDG bonds” and “Green bonds” to sustain their fight against climate change.
—The writer holds a PhD in Environmental Sciences/Climate Change and is currently associated with the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), Islamabad.
