Summary PM Shehbaz urged grant-based climate financing and increased adaptation funds at COP31, stressing that vulnerable nations need support without additional debt to tackle climate disasters.
ANTALYA (Dunya News) – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday called for grant-based climate financing, including public-private partnerships, and a significant increase in resilience and adaptation funds to help climate-vulnerable countries cope with the growing impacts of climate change.
In his national statement at the Antalya Leaders Summit of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), he stressed that vulnerable nations need timely assistance and financial support that does not add to their debt burden.
The prime minister said resilience and adaptation funds were essentially survival funds, particularly for struggling economies facing increasingly devastating climate disasters.
Highlighting Pakistan’s experience with climate-induced disasters, the prime minister recalled the devastating floods of 2022, when one-third of the country was submerged, affecting 33 million people, claiming more than 1,700 lives and causing economic losses exceeding $30 billion.
Referring to the August 2025 flash floods in Buner, he shared the heartbreaking story of a young man who was just two days away from his wedding when floodwaters swept through his village, turning a home prepared for celebration into a house of mourning.
He said the tragedy reflected the plight of millions across Pakistan and the developing world, who had contributed the least to climate change but were bearing its heaviest consequences.
Recalling his warning at the United Nations four years ago that what happened in Pakistan would not remain confined to the country, the prime minister said the warning had unfortunately become a reality.
“Climate change knows no borders. No nation can face it alone. Solidarity must mean action,” he said.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to Türkiye, particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan and the Turkish people, for their support to Pakistan during the devastating floods of 2010 and 2022. He also thanked Türkiye for hosting COP31 and acknowledged Australia’s valuable role as President of Negotiations.
Highlighting Pakistan’s efforts towards clean energy, he said the country had added more than 20 gigawatts of distributed solar capacity in just two years, while clean sources now accounted for nearly 55 per cent of its energy mix.
He also referred to Pakistan’s progress in nuclear energy, saying that on his way to Antalya, he witnessed the dome placement of the Chashma-5 Nuclear Power Plant, which, once commissioned, will add 1,200 megawatts of clean, emission-free electricity.
He said Pakistan was also advancing electric mobility and had set a target of reducing projected emissions by up to 50 per cent by 2035.
Emphasising the importance of water security, the prime minister declared that water must never be weaponised and stressed that no country should be allowed to endanger the lives and livelihoods of downstream populations. He also called for water-sharing agreements to be honoured in letter and spirit.
The prime minister urged world leaders to translate their commitments into meaningful action, saying the success of COP31 should be measured not by promises but by the families protected, resources delivered and sustained action taken to safeguard the planet.
