ISLAMABAD, Thursday, June 5, 2025 (WNP): On World Environment Day, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued urgent calls for collective action to combat environmental degradation and climate change, emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and international climate justice.

In a message marking the day, President Zardari underscored the importance of national unity in building a cleaner, greener Pakistan. “This day reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect the planet and secure a sustainable future for generations to come,” the President said, according to a statement issued by the Press Wing of the President’s Secretariat.

He warned that Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, despite contributing less than 1% to global carbon emissions. “We face devastating floods, droughts, and heatwaves that displace millions every year. This imbalance highlights the urgent need for global climate justice and stronger international support,” he stressed.

President Zardari noted that, despite resource constraints, Pakistan is advancing critical environmental reforms through innovative financing and global cooperation. He cited several key initiatives, including the $1.4 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility from the IMF, which supports reforms such as a carbon levy, promotion of electric vehicles, and enhanced energy efficiency.

He also highlighted the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework (2026–2035) — focusing on flood resilience, clean energy transition, sustainable agriculture, and improved air quality — as well as the 2024 Carbon Market Policy Guidelines, which aim to attract green private investment. These measures, he said, are all part of Pakistan’s broader economic transformation blueprint, Uraan Pakistan.

“No government can solve this crisis alone,” President Zardari emphasized. “Each of us — individuals, institutions, and organizations — has a role to play. Small, everyday actions like reducing single-use plastics, recycling waste, planting trees, and supporting green policies can make a big difference.”

Separately, in his World Environment Day message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described plastic pollution as a growing menace that threatens ecosystems, economies, and future generations.

“This year’s theme — ‘Putting an End to Plastic Pollution’ — is both urgent and timely,” he said. “Plastic waste is choking our rivers and seas, harming marine life, and contaminating our food chain. Pakistan is not immune to this crisis. What we need now is bold, collective action.”

The prime minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to environmentally responsible policies, sustainable consumption, and stricter regulations on plastic use. “Real change begins with each of us — in our homes, in our communities, and in our choices,” he noted.

PM Shehbaz added that World Environment Day should serve as a powerful reminder of the shared obligation to safeguard the Earth and ensure a better future for coming generations.

Both leaders called for a national culture of environmental responsibility, with the president focusing on strategic climate resilience and the prime minister underscoring grassroots behavioral change. Their messages come amid intensifying climate risks in Pakistan and ahead of key global climate finance discussions later this year.