The senior supreme court judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has boldly called for urgent, preventive action on the increasing climate crisis in Pakistan. According to him, the two most significant interventions that must occur are climate diplomacy and climate finance.
Speaking at a seminar on climate change held in Lahore, Justice Shah said that he is tired because there has been no visible result for seven years from the action by both governments and courts. He said the gap between policy and implementation made this statement: “The last seven years have seen no tangible work on climate change.”
Justice Shah has pitched climate finance as “essential to the Pakistan future and for me, it is a human right and a constitutional right.” As he puts it, “climate finance will be a ray of hope for Pakistan. It will provide security and climate justice to our people.” Human rights must be protected between rights and the climate emergency.
Also Read: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Challenges 26th Constitutional Amendment in SHC
Being one of the top eight most climate-vulnerable nations on the planet, Pakistan has colossal environmental problems. Justice Shah observed that progress is largely stalled by administration issues, such as the delay in the enactment of the 2017 Climate Change Act. The act proposed the establishment of a climate authority and a fund-neither of which has been created. It was supposed to be included in the 2017 Act, but it is not mentioned in the budget. The authority has not been formed, “He said, criticizing this inactivity of the government.
Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has also recommended mainstreaming climate change into broader sectors like food security, disaster management, water security, urban planning, etc. “We need to incorporate climate considerations into urban and agricultural planning to effectively tackle the crisis,” he stated.
In addition, he noted the challenges which 26th Constitutional Amendment has created, particularly the removal of suo motu powers from the courts, rendering much more difficult judicial intervention on climate-related matters. Nevertheless, in reaffirming the judiciary’s commitment to treating climate emergencies with the seriousness they deserve, he also called upon the government to take a coordinated and urgent approach in dealing with the crisis.