The Supreme Court of Pakistan has expressed disappointment and concern over the lack of allocation for climate change in the recent provincial budgets for 2024-25. Despite warnings from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) about urban flooding due to heavy monsoon rains, the provinces failed to propose effective strategies or allocate funds to address the issue.
The court regretted that climate change, a serious existential threat to Pakistan, was not prioritized in the budgets, neglecting the fundamental rights of the people. The lack of allocation is particularly worrying as the country is still recovering from the devastating floods of 2022 and monsoon rains are imminent.
The court directed that its order be placed before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his perusal and ordered officials to present their climate change strategies at the next hearing. The chief secretaries of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan assured the court that they would submit relevant strategy and action plans to deal with climate change in their respective provinces.
The court also appointed Ayesha Khan, regional managing director of Acumen, as amicus curiae to assist in the next hearing. The case will be taken up again on July 15.
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