• December 14, 2017
• Environmental Journalism
• Web Desk

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Environment, Begum Zakia Shahnawaz said on Wednesday that it is the high time for Pakistan to get fully prepared on the legal, institutional and policy frameworks regarding climate change using a bottom-up approach at district and provincial levels.

She was speaking at “Grow Festival” organised by the Oxfam in Pakistan and Indus Consortium to launch the Climate Public Expenditure Review (CPER) in Lahore.

The vibrant event was full of cultural festivity, colours and a variety of cultural food stalls by community women from different districts of Punjab.

Food Minister Punjab, Bilal Yaseen inaugurated the event at the College of Earth and Environment Sciences at CEES, University of Punjab, where over 4000 guests participated, including parliamentarians, environmentalists, academia, civil society experts, government officials and development organizations.

Begum Zakia Shahnawaz further said climate change is a big challenge to the world and especially affects developing countries like Pakistan.

The proper way to tackle the issue at the government level is to consider climate change an emergency and develop its policy, legal and institutional frameworks to mitigate the impacts on the vulnerable segments of the society.

Referring to Oxfam’s research paper on climate change, Oxfam in Pakistan’s Country Director, Mohammed Qazilbash said, “An Oxfam analysis of policies and public investments in six countries including Pakistan shows that women farmers are not getting the resources they need to feed their families and communities and adapt to climate change. While climate change affects us all, the risks of displacement are significantly higher in lower-income countries and among people living in poverty. The first priority must be rapid reductions in global climate pollution. At the same time, communities must be supported to build resilience to the impacts of climate change that can no longer be avoided.”

Food Minister Punjab, Bilal Yaseen stressed upon the need to fight against food insecurity in the country.

He said, “Food security is a high priority for the government and we have initiated a number of mega projects and programmes to overcome food insecurity issues with a special focus on women and children in the province.”

He added that his ministry will take the recommendations of the climate change study launched on Wednesday, to incorporate these in the policy and planning of Punjab and ensure the food security of targeted communities.

Climate change is amplifying the risk of extreme weather disasters by increasing the destructive power of storms and floods. At the same time, rising seas, shifting rainfall patterns, drought and other slow-onset changes are eroding people’s land, natural resources and security, and magnifying existing vulnerabilities.

The impacts of sea-level rise and other slower-onset changes such as desertification are felt incrementally over time, with assets and security being steadily eroded, and communities faced with a long and difficult decision making period.

Discussing the role that academic institutions can play in the fight against climate change, Dr Sarwat Naz Mirza, Vice Chancellor Arid University Rawalpindi said, “Academic institutions can enhance their role and produce results with the collaboration of civil society members and communities. To get results with long lasting impacts, research on climate change should be aligned with local issues and solutions which is somehow a missing factor.”

Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar, Vice Chancellor University of the Punjab added to these views, “Research on climate change has sensitized us to take up the issue with more seriousness. The joint efforts of relevant stakeholders will give us the results and localized and practical solutions.”

While it is essential to recognize the disproportionate impacts of climate change, it is equally important to recognize the crucial role of those most affected in driving solutions to climate change. Many countries that are acutely vulnerable to climate change are showing determined leadership and building partnerships in response to the climate crisis. This includes implementing ambitious renewable energy strategies and climate change adaptation plans.

Jamshaid Fareed, Chairman Indus Consortium said, “Partnerships with the government, INGOs, academia, private sector and local communities is the dire need of the time. Joint deliberations can fill the gap of unavailability of inclusive planning and execution of the programmes and schemes initiated at all levels.”

The growing threat of climate change requires an integrated global agenda and jointly organized development initiatives of academia, the government and private sector. Young university researchers should take the challenge of quality research and develop a vital link with rural communities and come with new climate resilient solutions.

Sharing the findings of a recent study Anila Bibi said, “Since Punjab is responsible to contribute more than 50pc annual food grain, only 10pc increase in the agriculture sector for climate change related activities and the massive decline in livestock and food sectors is alarming.”

In FY 2015-16, only ten million out of fifty million allocation was devoted for climate change. Persistent advocacy enhanced the climate change related allocation in the last FY 2016-17 the total 185 million budget is allocated to environment sector out of which 99 million is related to climate change.

In the current year, Punjab’s government has increased the overall allocation on to this sub-sector to 540 million out of which, 331 million is climate change related, this lead to an overall increase of 234 percent from 2016-17 to 2017-18 reflecting the high concerns for climate change in the province.

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