ECOSF Participated in the International Symposium on Ecological Restoration and Management of the Aral Sea

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The CAREC Institute and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Uzbek Academy of Sciences in collaboration with more than 20 co-organizing partners, including the ECO Science Foundation organized a virtual international symposium on “Ecological Restoration and Management of the Aral Sea” on 24-25 November 2020. The main aim of this symposium was to establish an international platform for scientific research promotion and knowledge sharing on ecological safeguarding and restoration of the Aral Sea. Leading researchers, experts and policy makers from Central Asian countries, regional and international development agencies attended the symposium and delivered presentations to propose innovative ways for ecological restoration and management of the Aral Sea. 

Among other high-level dignitaries, H.E. Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Innovation Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, delivered a resounding keynote speech. His Excellency highlighted the importance of Aral Sea restoration and management for Uzbekistan and the region. He called for coordinated and collective response to the Aral Sea ecological issues while reiterating Uzbekistan’s strong will and readiness for cooperation in addressing climate change issues. 

Subsequently, leading experts began deliberations, based on which the expansion of intensive and wasteful irrigated farming during the former Soviet Union time were highlighted as the main causes for the drying-up of the Aral Sea. Mismanagement of water was highlighted repeatedly as one of the main reasons for ecological degradation.

President ECOSF Prof. Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro delivered his keynote address in the inaugural ceremony and highlighted the significance of ecology and sustainability of planet with reference to the Aral Sea. Prof. Soomro said that in modern times, the health of an economy is given far more importance than that of the ecology and underlined that the shrinking of the Aral Sea as one of the “planet's worst environmental disasters” in the modern history. 

Prof. Soomro further deliberated that most of the changes in climate and landscape in our environment particularly in the Aral Sea are the consequences of Human induced changes. This has been the common practice worldwide, therefore we are expected to face severe extreme climate events, such as increased variability of monsoons, receding glacial caps, heatwaves, floods and droughts.

To address this mammoth challenge, there is an urgent need for the adaptive capacity of communities through adequate science education and enabling citizens to make informed decisions in the context of climate change. Prof. Soomro concluded that considering the devastating impacts of climate change in the ECO region, it is high time for the political leaders and policy makers to come together to devise a strategy to integrate the climate change education in its existing science curriculum.

Engr. Khalil Raza, Scientific Officer ECOSF presented his talk on “Climate Change Mitigation: The Role of Clean Energy Technologies”. Mr. Raza highlighted that energy, industry and transport are the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). About two thirds of the global greenhouse gas emissions are linked to the burning of fossil fuels used for heating, industry electricity and transport etc., he added.

Emerging Economies of ECO are on the path towards industrialization, which would require intensive energy resources to achieve intended goals, therefore, it is right time for ECO Countries like Pakistan, Iran, Turkey to invest in clean technologies to reduce the impact of climate change, he emphasized. Renewable energy plays a key role in mitigating global greenhouse emissions by radically lowering the emission profile of Pakistan. Mr. Raza shared a landscape of disruptive innovation being spurred in the clean technology sector and recommended that Developing Nations should take advantage of this emerging revolution to achieve sustainable economic development.