Pakistan is one of the lowest emitters in the world and its commitment to addressing the simmering issue of climate change is well appreciated around the globe, the government has said, as it came under criticism from the Opposition after Prime Minister Imran Khan was not invited to a U.S.-hosted virtual summit on the issue.
The White House on Friday said a total of 40 world leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were invited to the summit to be hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.
The Foreign Office (FO) in an overnight statement said that Pakistan is committed to addressing climate change.
The FO said that the Leaders’ Summit on Climate Change hosted by President Biden reconvenes the U.S.-led Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which brings together leaders from countries responsible for approximately 80% of global emissions and GDP.
“Pakistan, despite being among the top ten countries affected by climate change, is one of the lowest emitters – with less than one per cent of the global emissions,” it said.
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The Pakistan government came under criticism from the Opposition as Prime Minister Khan was not invited to the climate-related summit.
“It shows a failure on the part of the government,” Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah was quoted by Samaa TV channel as saying.
Several Pakistanis took to various social media platforms to express surprise at the exclusion of Pakistan from the summit, particularly when the country is among the nations most affected by climate change.
“Climate Change is one of the defining challenges of our times that can only be countered through inclusive, cooperative and forward-looking policies,” the FO said.
“Pakistan remains fully committed to playing its due role in this fight,” it said.
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