PAKISTAN’S climate debate is finally beginning to move beyond post-disaster calls for aid and donor conferences. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has implicitly acknowledged that the era when the world could be expected to step in generously after a climate disaster is effectively over.

His remarks at the Breathe Pakistan Climate Conference on Wednesday were an admission that Pakistan must first demonstrate seriousness at home before looking for external help. This is a welcome shift in the official tone. Until recently, climate vulnerability was seen as a justification for external aid.

But experience shows that post-disaster, global sympathy does not automatically translate into aid flows. Billions of dollars were pledged for rehabilitation after the 2022 floods. Only a fraction materialised. This is........

© Dawn