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Your letters: Climate change
Pakistan is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, though a minor contributor to the problem
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akistan is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, though a minor contributor to the problem. It has been exposed to the ravages of climate change since the last decade. Record-breaking floods since 2010 have become a yearly occurrence, resulting in loss of human lives and billions of dollars in losses to the economy.
Environmental experts have put Pakistan among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to climate changes where weather patterns are making major environmental impacts.
Recently, nearly 200 nations held a World Climate Summit in Paris in the largest gathering of heads of state in history and approved an accord to stop global warming, offering hope that humanity can avert a catastrophic climate change and usher in an energy revolution.
The crux of the fight to limit global warming requires cutting back or eliminating the use of coal, oil and gas for energy, which has largely powered prosperity since the Industrial Revolution began in the 18th century.
The Paris accord sets a target of limiting warming of the planet to well below 2º Celcius compared with before the Industrial Revolution while aiming at an even more ambitious goal of 1.5ºC to do so.
The emissions of greenhouse gases will need to peak as soon as possible, followed by rapid reductions, the agreement states.
Pakistan played an instrumental role in Paris for securing adaptation that is an essential component of the new agreement. Broadly, the agreement will be beneficial to Pakistan in dealing with its inherent vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change as the agreement is based on the principle and ambition of keeping the global average temperature rise between 2 and 1.5ºC by the end this century.
Low carbon emissions and stabilization of temperature will diminish negative impacts on the region's glacial topography on which the survival of Pakistan is so heavily dependent.
But, at the same time, the agreement's compliance will require a long-term policy perspective aiming at adapting to the inevitable consequences of climate threats and shifting to low emission development pathways.
The Paris agreement has come up with a package of practical solutions that include financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity-building.
K. Faraz
Dawn/ANN/Islamabad
