AS the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change opened in Antalya, Türkiye, on 9 November 2026, the world once again faced a familiar question: how long can climate commitments remain promises on paper while vulnerable countries continue to pay the price for a crisis they contributed relatively little to create? Running until 20 November, Murat Kurum serves as the President, while Australia’s Climate Change and Energy Minister, Chris Bowen, leads the negotiations at the conference.

Amid rising global temperatures, geopolitical tensions and widening climate-finance gaps, Pakistan has a story that cannot be overlooked. For the country, COP31 is an opportunity to make the world listen, demand climate justice and secure a more resilient future for its people. Pakistan’s case rests on a stark contradiction. The country contributes less than one per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and about 0.4 percent of historical emissions, yet remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. The question Pakistan must pose at COP31 is straightforward: how can countries with limited responsibility for global emissions be expected to bear the escalating costs of a crisis they did little to create?

At the heart of this argument lies........

© Pakistan Observer