Melting glaciers may deprive our rivers of water, PM Imran Khan warns world

RIYADH: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday warned global leaders that if the world does not take action on climate change drastically then the rivers that feed the population will run out of water due to the melting glaciers.

PM Imran, in a heartfelt plea at the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit in Riyadh, warned that climate change is “one of the biggest crises” that is faced by the world.

“Unfortunately, this crisis was quite visible 20 years ago but somehow, we were all in self-denial no one thought that this would actually happen,” said PM Imran Khan while talking about warmer temperatures that are being seen across the world.

The premier said that no one was willing to believe that there would be effects of warmer, adding that once the “balance of nature” is altered there would always be “implications”.

“Just in the last two years we have seen fires in Siberia, in California, Mediterranean, Australia. Then we have these unprecedented flooding’s,” said PM Imran.

The premier shared that it was not just Pakistan, but the “whole humanity” living on the base of the Himalayas and the Karakorum depend on the water they get from the glaciers.

“All of us face this stark reality that the glaciers are melting at a fast pace. And in years to come, unless we do something drastically, we will run out of water. Our rivers will not have water to feed our population,” warned PM Imran.

The PM warned that if the glaciers melt, then it would not just affect Pakistan and India, but also the countries living on the northern side of the range.

Considering the dire situation, the PM thanked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for holding the MGI summit. He also hoped that the leaders present would “collectively” take the challenge more seriously.

Pakistan’s climate adaptation measures to cost up to $14b: PM

At the start of his address, PM Imran Khan remarked that 10% of the countries are responsible for 80% of the world’s emissions.

He added that Pakistan was unfortunately among the 10 most vulnerable countries to climate change. To make his case, he shared that Pakistan in the last 10 years has had 152 extreme weather events which led to an economic loss of over $3.8 billion.

“Our future climate adaptation costs are estimated between to $6-14 billion,” said PM Imran.

PM shares actions taken by Pakistan

The PM said that considering the dire situation Pakistan took it upon itself to take actions that were possible against climate change.

Sharing the list of actions taken by Pakistan, PM said that the country has decided to shift 60% of the country’s energy to clean energy. He also shared that Pakistan would shift 30% of all transport to electric vehicles by 2030.

The PM also shared that Pakistan has “shelved” 2,400-megawatt coal projects and replaced them with hydroelectricity. In addition, Pakistan has also decided not to introduce any new coal projects in the future.

“The only energy through coal will be through gasification and that is with local coal which is in Pakistan,” said PM Imran. He also spoke about the billion tree tsunami project and other nature-based interventions.

The PM also shared that Pakistan has also been lauded by the World Bank for shifting its development finance to a climate-friendly trajectory.

Initiatives that were highlighted by the PM included the green, blue and nature bonds.

Crown prince receives PM Imran

Earlier upon his arrival, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman received PM Imran Khan at the venue of the summit.

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The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman receives Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI upon his arrival at Middle East Green Initiative Summit.#PMIKinKSA pic.twitter.com/ogZepKGqHX

— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) October 25, 2021

The two also held a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, said the PM Office.

Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of #MGISummit#PMIKinKSA pic.twitter.com/LbcCZGzjxc

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— Prime Minister's Office, Pakistan (@PakPMO) October 25, 2021

PM Imran Khan arrives in Saudi Arabia

PM Imran arrive in Saudi Arabia for a three-day trip on Saturday to attend the launch ceremony of the MGI Summit.

The premier is visiting the kingdom at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Energy Minister Hamad Azhar, Special Assistant to PM Imran Khan on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam and other cabinet members are also with him on the trip.

The MGI summit is a brainchild of Prince Mohammed bin Salman and is a first of its kind in the Middle East region.