ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Friday directed the Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change and chief secretaries of all provinces to file report on steps taken to deal with the challenges of climate change. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan issued its order of its 1st July, 2024 proceedings on the petition of Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan.
The bench observed that the federal and the provincial governments have no policy for climate change. It appears that no such policy is in place and no action on the ground has been taken what are the key challenges of climate change and what strategies and plans have been put in place by the Ministry and what action has so far been taken.
On the last hearing, Roomina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Ministry of Climate Change and Secretary Climate Change appeared before the bench along with Additional Attorney General informed that five posts for Members of the Authority established under Section 5 of the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017 have been advertised and as a result 752 applications have been received, which are under process and soon the said five posts will be filled.
The bench directed to the coordinator to PM to complete the exercise within a fortnight without fail, and place on record its notification of a duly constituted Authority before next date of hearing.
When inquired, if the Ministry of Climate Change has any climate change policy in place and the effective steps taken in order to address the challenges of climate change, nothing concrete was placed before us. It was mentioned that NDMA & PDMA are looking into the matter. Our understanding is that NDMA and PDMA are disaster management institutions, while the Ministry of Climate Change has to come up with preventive policies addressing the challenges of climate change head-on. The bench said that it appears that no such policy is in place and no action on the ground has been taken. Still, we provide opportunity to the Secretary Climate Change to place the relevant policy on the record and apprise the Court on the next date as to what are the key challenges of climate change and what strategies and plans have been put in place by the Ministry and what action has so far been taken.
It added that we have also heard the Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Balochistan. We are not satisfied with their submissions and notice with concern that no material steps have been taken by the said Provinces to deal with the challenges of climate change as there is no clear strategy(ies), action plans or any adequate steps taken on the ground.
It continued that the Chief Secretaries undertake that they will submit relevant strategy/action plans to deal with the issue of climate change in their respective provinces before the next date. Let the said strategies clearly identifying the threats/challenges of climate change in their respective provinces and steps taken to address the said challenges.
The court further said that all the Chief Secretaries were asked whether the special budget has been allocated for the climate change in the recent provincial budgets, their reply to this question was in the negative, however, as far as, Punjab is concerned, it has been pointed out that a loan of $ 50 million through Asian Development Bank has been obtained and parked as Climate Change Fund, however, no document in this regard has been placed on the record.
It ordered that all the Chief Secretaries, as well as, Roomina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Ministry of Climate Change and Secretary Climate Change, and, all the concerned officers will appear before the Court on the next date of hearing and apprise the Court of their strategies and steps taken.
