ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has set up a ‘Pakistan Pavilion’ at the UN Conference of Parties (COP) 30 summit in Brazil to highlight climate initiatives undertaken by the provincial government, state media reported on Tuesday. 

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz arrived in Belém, Brazil, last week to attend the COP30 summit. Negotiators, scientists, and civil society have gathered in the Brazilian city from Nov. 6-21 to discuss priority actions to tackle climate change. The COP30 will focus on the efforts needed to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C, the presentation of new national action plans (NDCs) and the progress on finance pledges made at COP29. 

Nawaz heads the government in Punjab, a province reeling from the devastating effects of climate change such as floods and toxic smog. Over 130 were killed and 4.5 million people were affected after torrential rains and floodwaters released by India caused deluges in Pakistan’s breadbasket province. Meanwhile Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities during winter season every year, according to Swiss monitoring agency IQAir. 

“Punjab government has set up ‘Pakistan Pavilion’ titled ‘From the Indus to the Amazon’ at COP30 Conference in Brazil where countries from around the world have also set up their pavilions,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. 

The state media said big screens have been installed in the pavilion, where steps taken by Punjab to protect the climate during the last one-and-a-half years have been highlighted.

“Documentaries of the steps taken by Punjab government in this regard are also being screened at the pavilion,” the state media reported. 

The provincial government said last week Nawaz will brief COP30 participants about Punjab’s flagship projects and meet world leaders at the summit. She will also brief attendees about the “Suthra Punjab” (Clean Punjab) initiative, which Punjab says is Pakistan’s largest province-wide sanitation and waste management program. 

Pakistan is considered one of the worst affected countries due to climate change, despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. The country has suffered irregular weather patterns over the years which includes heatwaves, droughts, and torrential rains. 

Catastrophic floods in 2022 killed nearly 1,700 people, submerging a third of the country at one point and inflicting over $30 billion in damages as per government estimates.