ISLAMABAD: The chief minister of Pakistan’s most populous Punjab province, Maryam Nawaz, has left for Brazil to attend the COP30 climate summit where she will highlight her government’s climate initiatives and meet world leaders, the provincial government said on Thursday.
About 50 heads of state and government are expected in the rainforest city of Belem for a summit on Thursday and Friday ahead of the annual UN Conference of Parties (COP) climate negotiations that open next week and will last till Nov. 21.
Nawaz heads the provincial government in Punjab, which suffered devastating floods in late August that killed over 130 people and displaced over 2.6 million, destroying large swathes of agricultural crops. Her government is currently trying to tackle rising air pollution in Punjab, notably Lahore, where the prevalent smog continues to hinder the lives of millions of people.
“At the COP-30 meeting, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif will give a briefing on Punjab’s flagship projects,” the provincial government said in a statement.
“She will inform participants about the “Clean Punjab” initiative and e-mobility projects.”
The “Suthra Punjab” (Clean Punjab) initiative, according to the provincial government, is Pakistan’s largest province-wide sanitation and waste management program.
Sharif will also meet world leaders and senior UN officials. She will speak about climate-resilient regional leadership and brief participants on wildlife reforms being implemented by her government, the statement added.
The Punjab government highlighted that Sharif would meet the vice presidents of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank’s global director for climate change, the director general of the Global Green Growth Institute and United Nations Development Program officials.
Sharif’s visit is significant as Punjab faces severe climate challenges almost every year that include floods, heatwaves and air pollution.
Pakistan is considered one of the worst affected countries due to climate change despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions.
Catastrophic floods in 2022 killed nearly 1,700 people, submerged a third of the country at one point and inflicted over $30 billion in damages as per estimates.
