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PakReport posted on 1265330888|%A: %d %B, %Y|agohover
It was bad news all around when environment experts on Thursday reiterated before the parliamentarians that Pakistan was the most vulnerable country to the impacts of climate change.
In the first meeting of the Climate Change Sub-Committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Environment, the experts warned that melting rate of glaciers would increase in Pakistan’s mountain ranges such as Karakoram and Hindukush resulting in flash floods.
The sub-committee, formed as part a permanent body on Climate Change to the Asian Parliamentary Conference in South Korea in July 2009, learnt that the melting glaciers would also deplete water resources.
“Crops will be affected resulting in lower productivity and production, outbreak and spread of diseases, shifting in cropping patterns, soil erosion, salinity and water logging, increase trans-boundary movement of pests and disease are some of the serious challenges,” said a participant.
Chairperson of the sub-committee, MNA Marvi Memon, underlining the objectives of the committee, said: “If not addressed appropriately, climate change challenges will lead to national security crisis.”
“The task of the committee will be to develop a clear list of indicators with timelines for government to be answerable regarding water, energy, health and food security,” she said.
Members of the committee decided that it would play a key role as coordinator between experts’ research and government policy deliverables as well as inter-ministerial coordination.
The members concluded that they could not leave such an important task of coordination to the government since, they said, the government had failed in this regard with no meeting of the Taskforce on Climate Change held in the last two years.
The legislative branch would have to fill in the executive branch’s governance gaps, the members added.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Environment briefed the committee members on the climate change challenges, remedial measures taken by the government towards managing the threat and Pakistan’s commitment to the international community in this regard.
The committee’s schedule for having sectoral assessments on the preparation done by each ministry on climate change would be announced shortly. Most specifically, the ministries to be asked to present their climate change management strategies are the ministries of environment, food and agriculture, petroleum, water and power, health, Cabinet Division, National Disaster Management Authority and HEC.
