ISLAMABAD-Ministry of Climate Change and UAE’s Blue Carbon collaborated to unlock economic potential in forestry, aligned with global climate goals, with a focus on carbon reduction projects and their community benefits.
Ministry of Climate Change recently hosted a four-day technical workshop with UAE’s Blue Carbon, attended by representatives from the provincial forestry departments, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The workshop’s main goal was to explore how Pakistan’s Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector can generate carbon credits known as Internationally Transferable Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
Throughout the workshop, the primary focus was on exploring potential projects to reduce carbon emissions within Pakistan’s AFOLU sector, with a specific emphasis on its forests. The in-depth conversations that occurred during these sessions illuminated Pakistan’s forest resources and their readiness for Article 6 mechanisms, thereby highlighting potential areas of cooperation with Blue Carbon. Under the guidelines of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, Pakistan’s environmental assets were emphasized as valuable tools to tackle both environmental and economic challenges within the emerging compliance market.
Blue Carbon, headquartered in the UAE, was founded with the esteemed support of Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a member of the UAE royal family. Utilizing the UAE’s visionary approach to development and entrepreneurship, Blue Carbon specializes in crafting systems and resources that facilitate social development endeavors for both private enterprises and countries seeking to improve their environmental assets. Blue Carbon stands out by offering end-to-end development and facilitation services for carbon projects, particularly in the realm of ITMOs. One important conclusion drawn from these conversations was the recognition that starting projects in forestry could set the stage for future endeavors in various sectors, ultimately enhancing Pakistan’s sustainable development and economic prospects.