ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has sharply criticized wealthy countries for what it termed “global hypocrisy” on climate finance, accusing them of pressuring developing nations to adopt green reforms while withholding the funds needed to combat environmental disasters.
Speaking at the opening plenary of the 28th Sustainable Development Conference, Federal Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik said that Pakistan, despite contributing less than 1 percent of global carbon emissions, is bearing a disproportionate share of the consequences — from catastrophic floods to prolonged droughts.
“Forty percent of emissions come from just two countries, and 10 nations are responsible for 75 percent — yet they receive 85 percent of global green financing,” Malik noted. “Meanwhile, countries like ours are told to be greener or face carbon taxes. What a hypocrisy.”
He condemned international lenders for demanding that Pakistan “repurpose” social and education funds to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by climate disasters, arguing that this approach undermines human development.
The four-day conference, themed Sustainable Development in the Emerging World Dis/Order, is organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). It also features the 16th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES), the 3rd Sustainability Investment Expo (SIE), and the 9th South and South-West Asia Subregional Forum on Sustainable Development (UNESCAP).
Echoing Malik’s remarks, Bangladesh’s environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hassan warned that the erosion of multilateral cooperation, worsening natural disasters, and cross-border water disputes could threaten millions of lives across South Asia.
