AMERICAN President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the UNFCCC has created a crisis for global multilateralism and international climate governance. The challenge is paradoxical: protecting relations with the US without abandoning multilateralism and climate commitments. This dilemma will reshape Pakistan’s domestic and international climate architecture. What opportunities can emerge for Pakistan from this crisis? How can Pakistan benefit from a new redistribution of power and resources? Can it navigate this shift to diversify partnerships, secure climate finance and advance economic and strategic interests amid global realignment?

Global fallout: The US is the only nation to completely withdraw from international climate efforts. The UNFCCC is a bedrock treaty that underpins every climate negotiation, emissions commitment and dollar of climate finance that flows from the developed to the developing world. The decision extends to the IPCC that has provided the authoritative voice on climate science for decades. This will diminish the quality and comprehensiveness of future assessments, particularly in complex areas of importance like agricultural emissions and land-use change.

The withdrawal undermines the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities that has been the moral foundation of Pakistan’s climate negotiations since Rio in 1992. The US as the largest historical contributor to greenhouse gases bears a unique responsibility for the warming that threatens billions of lives and livelihoods. By walking away, Washington sends an unmistakable message: the world’s most powerful economy will prioritise short-term political expediency over planetary survival.

Europe has responded........

© Dawn