Pakistan has stressed the need for global cooperation to mitigate thenegative impacts of climate change during the hearing at theInternational Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP)Mansoor Usman Awan made anoral statement before the international court in the caseconcerning Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States regarding Climate Change.
The case, initiated as aconcerning Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States regarding Climate Change, seeks to render advisory opinion of the ICJ regarding the obligations of states in addressing the global challenge posed by climate change.
During the presentation before the court, AGP Awanhighlighted the country's vulnerability to climate change while underscoring the need forinternational cooperation to addressed the major issue.
The AGP highlighted how the people of Pakistan are severely impacted by climate change events, saying: "For the human race, turning a Nelson’s eye to the climate emergency is no longer an option."
At the outset, Awan set out the country's agreement with thelike-minded developing countries on three key points —Paris Agreement,interpretation of the obligations of states anddisputes regarding the interpretation and application of the obligations.
"Pakistan’s submissions are structured as follows: I will first turn to flooding and desertification that climate change has caused in Pakistan. Second: the obligation of prevention of significant transboundary harm. Third: recognition by states that the obligation of prevention applies generally. Fourth, I will turn to the requirement of knowledge — actual or constructive — in relation to the obligation of prevention," he told the court.
Awan first spoke about theflooding and desertification, highlighting the devastations faced by Pakistan in 2010 and 2022. He said that the 2010 floodingsubmerged a fifth of the whole of Pakistan while displacing six million people, killing 2,000 and causing economic losses of about $10 billion.
He then talked about the 2022 floods which affected 33 million people, destroyed over 2 million homes, 30,000 schools and 2,000 health facilities andcausingreconstruction needs to exceed $16 billion. The floods also impacted the country's GDP by $15.2 billion.
Awan then spoke about therising and extreme temperatures affecting Pakistan are also resulting in devastating desertification.
"Water and wind erosion, depletion of soil fertility, deforestation, livestock grazing pressure, loss of biodiversity, water logging, salinity, drought and (again) flooding have now become the main problems," he told the international court.
Awan said that the 2010 and 2022 floodsprovide a reliable indication of what more is to comeunless all states take the necessary measures.
The AGP then turned to theobligation of prevention of significant transboundary harm caused to Pakistan through climate changed caused by other states and their activities in their own territory.
He quoted theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), saying states have "the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction and control do not cause damage to the environment of other states."
On therequirement of knowledge, the AGP said thatobligation of prevention applies from the point at which the state in question had the requisite knowledge of the adverse effects of anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions.
"It would be no excuse for polluting states now to argue that they were ignorant that their release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere could potentially alter the climate system and that such interference could have catastrophic effects for other states," he said.
AGP Awan said that the internationallaw asks whether the statein question had actual or constructive knowledge.
Concluding the presentation, the AGP said: "Pakistan urges the courtto give an opinion which meets the challenge climate change poses to the planet."