The Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) programme held an awareness raising session at the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) in Islamabad, to disseminate information about the scope of carbon markets in the country and apprise students of the program’s Research Mentorship Program (RMP).

The SPAR6C programme is led by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), with implementation in Pakistan led by UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre and supported by GFA Consulting Group.

Awareness raising a key component of the planned work for SPAR6C in Pakistan. This includes a strategy to develop training materials and a series of webinars for members of the private sector in prioritized sectors as well as targeted training sessions for mid-level bureaucrats working across various ministries in the Pakistan government. It also includes guest lectures at universities to reach young people and encourage them to pursue studies and research in climate change. This is part of the larger effort in Pakistan to bring a higher level of general knowledge about climate change and carbon markets and update people about the latest developments in carbon markets and how they are potentially relevant for Pakistan.

Building national capacity on Article 6

The RMP provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to steer their academic work into a career in climate change and carbon markets. The Program is part of SPAR6C’s larger effort to generate, share, and implement knowledge surrounding Article 6. The RMP is also designed to build national capacity by training future experts, and fast-tracking them into careers in carbon markets and climate mitigation.

The session was set up through a collaboration between SPAR6C consultants, Urwah Khan, Advisor at UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, and one of the CoP-ASIC national academic focal points,  Wajiha Haq, Assistant Professor at the Department of Economics at NUST. The goal was to raise awareness and interest in pursuing studies and careers in the climate mitigation and carbon markets space in Pakistan.

Wajiha Haq, noted that climate-specific courses and degrees are just emerging in the country so there is a lot of potential to shape climate and sustainability studies to practical market needs. She added that the SPAR6C Program is shedding light on the utility of Article 6 as an important climate finance and mitigation tool, which academia can include in their curriculum and courses.

Research mentorships leading to internships

Allison Jay Sterling, Senior Advisor at UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre and Global Lead for the Research Mentorship Program (RMP) conducted the first roadshow in 2023, giving guest lectures at six universities across Pakistan to setup the national knowledge network and establish the RMP. The RMP is a highly competitive program, which receives over 100 applications per year from interested students in Pakistan, The first cohort of two students have just successfully completed the RMP program, and the program is now expanding to four students for the next two cohorts.  At the session, students were urged to start learning more about the RMP and look to last year’s cohort for guidance and inspiration..

Abeera Babar Mahmood, the CoP-ASIC Focal Point for Pakistan, reiterated the myriad benefits the RMP has had for the students’ academic and professional careers already. Last year’s scholars, Saif Shah and Faseeh Ahmed are now completing internships in the cement and textile industry, respectively, and gaining first-hand experience in sustainability and carbon markets that would not have been otherwise possible.

Projects benefitting people and planet

In addition to raising awareness of the program, the session also  introduced students to carbon market mechanisms, local and international standards and practices, as well as project opportunities. To this effect, Ahsan Kamran, SPAR6C Senior Consultant,  delivered an interactive presentation detailing the robust process of carbon market project development and investment opportunities.

Students were keen to understand how they can initiate pilot projects that are good for the planet and people, and as a viable career. Ahsan Kamran advised students to look towards nature-based solutions for agricultural regenerative projects and clean cooking projects as they are specific to local needs and scalable.

Zafar Mahmood. Principal of School of Social Sciences & Humanities, NUST, concluded the session saying, “It is remarkable how much we have learned about carbon markets and climate finance opportunities in just an hour. I specifically encourage students of international finance to explore this opportunity”.