Jan 15 , 2016
News
Lead Pakistan conducts policy dialogue over threats of climate change
Event features discussions where experts talked about climate vulnerability of Punjab, proposed solutionsLAHORE - Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan, an NGO, organised a policy dialogue for successful implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ambitions articulated under the Paris Climate Agreement.
The event titled, ‘Towards 2047: Policy Dialogue on Punjab’s Climate and Growth Policies & Strategies’, was held at a local hotel. The dicussion was aimed to sensitise key stakeholders, including policy-makers and opinion leaders, to deliberate on a set of salient questions that are critical for the growth, development and well-being of the fast growing but vulnerable population of Punjab.
Various policy experts including LEAD Pakistan CEO Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Government of Balochistan Adviser Dr Kaiser Bengali and Punjab MPA Tahia Noon shared their views on how climate change threatens Punjab and what adaptation and mitigation options can help to address these issues effectively.
The event featured two back-to-back roundtable discussions where experts talked about climate vulnerability of Punjab and proposed solutions to deal with it.
LEAD Pakistan CEO said poverty and climate vulnerability are intrinsically linked, and this reality makes it imperative to develop a pro-poor climate compatible development strategy for Punjab. This event is on step in the development of such a strategy, he said.
Addressing on the occasion Dr Qaiser talked about rising inequality and how our greed is leading to the degradation of ecosystem services.
Climate Change Programme Coordinator Basharat Saeed highlighted the drivers of climate vulnerability in Punjab and emphasised the important role of vulnerability assessments in targeting service delivery and directing development interventions.
Dr Khalid Mohtidullah, an expert on water policy, said that “You can’t value what you can’t measure,” underscoring the need for research and data on availability, productivity and utilisation of water in Pakistan. He concluded by saying that there are countries which have 1/100th the water that Pakistan has but have a higher value of agricultural output.
Urban Unit CEO Dr Nasir Javed reminded the audience of the need to admit to our mistakes as the first step towards finding sustainable solutions. “The population growth is not the culprit but rather the lack of planning that is to blame,” he said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk