Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion to properly address the challenges posed by climate change.
“For the human race, turning a blind eye to the climate emergency and turning a blind eye is no longer an option,” the AGP stressed during his address to the ICJ public hearing on climate change.
He outlined the “grave” impacts of climate change on Pakistan’s population and economy, explaining that “if lives and livelihoods are to be protected and if we want to avoid total devastation, we must not waste any time. We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and are undoubtedly the last generation that can do anything about it.”
The Attorney General highlighted the devastating floods of 2022, which submerged a third of Pakistan, affected 33 million people and resulted in an estimated reconstruction cost of over $16 billion.
He also referred to the UN Secretary-General’s remarks at the 2022 UN General Assembly, in which he said that “Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but its people are facing 15 times more deaths from climate impacts than other countries.”
Pakistan emphasized that the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) serves as the primary framework for addressing climate obligations, which must be consistent with the principles of equity and CBDR.RC. These obligations include climate finance, mitigation, cooperation, and dispute settlement mechanisms related to treaty obligations established within these agreements.
Furthermore, Pakistan emphasized that the responsibility to prevent damage from climate change operates alongside treaty obligations and is part of applicable international law.
