LEAD Pakistan organized a national consultative deliberation on 'Pakistan at Global Warming of 1.5 to 2 'C: Capturing Opportunities and Managing Challenges'

Go Back

A national consultative deliberation on 'Pakistan at Global Warming of 1.5 to 2 'C: Capturing Opportunities and Managing Challenges' was jointly organized by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan and Ministry of Climate Change on November 30, 2018. The event brought together a large number of climate change experts, environmentalists, academicians media personnel and politicians. ECOSF was represented in the national consultative dialogue by its President, Prof. Dr. Manzoor Hussain Soomro along with Engr. Khalil Raza.

Climate change deliberated that global warming of 1.5°C and more so of 2°C will not only worsen climate change impacts but have direct implications on Pakistan’s economy, food security, water supply, livelihoods, social well-being and ecosystem health. They also stressed the need to undertake planning on how to cope with surging risks associated with climate change and called it more necessary than ever.

Mr. Malik Amin Aslam, Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change stressed that environment and climate  change issues were one of the most important issues being faced by Pakistan and other countries, which would impact the survivability of our populations. Referring to a recent IPCC Report 2018 on limiting global warming at 1.5°C, he said If we want to boost the country’s climate resilience against intensifying impacts of climate change, we need to make climate change concern an integral part of socio-economic development policies and action plans.

Prof. Panmao Zhai, Lead Author of the latest IPCC report on Global Warming of 1.5 - 2°C, in his Keynote address states that country pledges are not enough to limit global warming to 1.5°C. He said that in South Asia, we have had some of the worst impacts of Climate Change and 70% of people living on the coasts of South Asia could be displaced.

Mr. Mushahid Hussain Syed, Senator and Member Senate Committee on Climate Change said that Pakistan is already witnessing climate change impacts at current levels of global warming with increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, surging stress on water resources, recessing glaciers, swelling health risks and irreversible impacts on land and water ecosystems. 

Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms said that Pakistan must look to domestic and global channels to garner support for strengthening their preparedness and response to global changes that will have local impacts.

Prof. Tariq Banuri, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) emphasized over strengthening the capacities for climate action of national and sub-national authorities, civil society, the private sector, and local communities to support the implementation of actions implied by limiting global warming to 1.5°C’.

Mr. Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CEO LEAD Pakistan said that even at 1°C of global warming, Pakistan has been exposed to a multitude of climate change impacts. ‘Increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, surging stress on water resources, recessing cryosphere and glaciers, swelling health risks, rising climate change induced migration and often irreversible impacts on land and water ecosystems’ he added.