News
Climate change: Minister says efforts being made to cope with negative impacts
*Warns that global warming will exacerbate land degradation in the countries like Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan on Sunday said that efforts are being made at various levels in the light of policy recommendations proposed in the National Climate Change Policy of Pakistan to cope with the negative impacts of climate change. Weather patterns in Pakistan were changing rapidly due to climate change, causing negative impacts on glaciers, river flows, underground water recharge systems, agriculture and overall biodiversity, the minister said in a press statement. Mushahidullah said that depleting river flows, falling underground water level, shifting rainfall patterns, frequent heat waves, droughts, sea intrusion/sea-level rise, shrinking winter months, expanding summer months and melting glaciers are all terrible indicators of how fast the climate of the country is changing. “We need to take corrective measures and work hard in collaboration with relevant government and non-governmental organisations on fast track basis for hammering out mitigation and adaptation plans to tackle the negative impacts of the climate change on different sectors of economy, particularly irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, which is mainstay of national economy,” he stressed. The minister warned that global warming will exacerbate land degradation and desertification in the countries like Pakistan, where over 80 percent of the land mass is arid. The climate change is also likely to lead to increasing water logging and salinity, and incidence of insects, pests and diseases, he highlighted. Suggesting measures, Mushahidullah said that developing and introducing regulatory mechanisms to manage and store summer water overflows and construction of new reservoirs of varying sizes is critical for making irrigated and rain-fed agriculture climate-resilient. There is also a serious need for encouraging farmers to adopt high irrigation efficiency systems, methods and techniques in farming, which will require policy interventions by government departments concerned including Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, he emphasised. He added that introduction and promotion of short duration crop varieties for both summer and winter season crops, heat and moisture stress-resistant wheat, rice, maize, cotton, sugarcane, pulses and vegetable crop varieties are inevitable to ensure food security of the country. Mushahidullah said that it was a matter of serious concern that country’s forest cover was shrinking fast because of deforestation and tree-cutting activities, which was leading to severe imbalances ecologically and environmentally. He cautioned, “What makes deforestation alarming is the immediate and long-term effects it is bound to inflict on our environmental and waste our efforts to tackle global warming.” Agricultural activities, logging, urbanisation, desertification of land, inadequate access to clean/renewable energy are among key causes of unchecked deforestation in the country, he said. “However, agro-forestry, sustainable and environment-friendly urbanisation, plantation of drought-tolerant tree species, increasing the people’s access to renewable energy for cooking, heating and bathing can help put brakes on deforestation/tree cutting and increase area under tree cover in the country,” the minister said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk