U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to award $1.3M to raise consciousness for climate change in Pakistan

This week's Golden Horseshoe goes to the State Department and the U.S. Embassy Islamabad for a $1.3 million grant for consciousness-raising about the dangers of climate change in Pakistan.

"Climate change is one of the most significant challenges of this century," warns the grant notice. "As a result of human activities, we are witnessing warming of the atmosphere, melting sea ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, and changes in the frequency and intensity of weather patterns, among other phenomena."

The grant opportunity, posted by the public affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan on Grants.gov, postulates that climate change is having a "profound effect" globally and could potentially "cause irreversible alterations to the earth's habitat, biodiversity and ecosystems."

Based on funding availability, the grant is expected to help Pakistan in its fight to ward off the potential ravages of climate change. 

Even though Pakistan emits less than 1% of global greenhouse gasses, it is among the world's "most vulnerable victims" of climate change, the embassy public affairs specialists assert, citing a study by the World Bank Group and Asian Development Bank that predicts a rate of warming "significantly above the global average" in the nation, with disproportionate risk for the "vulnerable, poor and minority groups,"

The grant is to fund three projects — Urban Planning for a Green Future, Developing the Next Generation of Female Environmentalists, and Advancing Glaciology Research — each of which "should raise awareness of the climate crisis among broad audiences and civil society stakeholders, promote greening and sustainability practices in diverse areas of Pakistan, and design and promote environmental education."

The first project is expected to address urban planning and buildings to "achieve inclusive and sustainable development." The second aims to develop the "next generation of Pakistani women leaders in the field of climate change," while the third project will advance the study of glaciology and climate change.

"Urgent action is needed to tackle the climate crisis and it will require collaborative efforts to gather and disseminate evidence-based scientific research to inform policy makers and stakeholders in national and local governments, academic institutions, and civil society organizations so they may plan and implement effective climate policies," the grant notice explains.

Grantees have until Feb. 22 to apply for the grant. 

In addition, Just The News found two other taxpayer-funded grants related to climate change sponsored by the U.S. Mission to Pakistan. One grant opportunity, worth up to $100K, will help connect students, experts and "youth influencers" to identify the local challenges caused by climate change, pollution, and resource scarcity. Another grant, this one for $50,000, is available to fund a multiday workshop for 20 representatives from nongovernment organizations and the Punjab provincial government to "mitigate the effects of climate change, specifically severe flooding." That workshop could be convened in person, online or hybrid, according to the grant description.

The State Department has not responded to a request for comment.