ISLAMABAD: Environment Minister Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi on Sunday said that the world must come forward and help Pakistan to overcome serious environmental challenges that it could not do on its own due to financial constraints.
Talking to journalists upon his arrival from Japan after attending Conference of Parties Convention on Biological Diversity (CoP-10), he said, “Representatives of 193 governments agreed to 20 objectives for 2020, including a zero tolerance target for species extinction, a goal to protect 17 percent of all inland water and terrestrial areas and 10 percent of marine areas, restoration of 15 percent of degraded ecosystems and reducing habitat loss by at least 50 percent”.
He said the CoP-10 was the best platform for the world community to highlight environmental issues and realise the importance of biodiversity, adding that the role of Pakistan to combat climate change impacts and its action plans were appreciated by the participants of the Conference. Afridi said the participants of the conference shared several useful suggestions and proposals to save ecosystem and biodiversity and to provide safe and healthy conditions to develop biodiversity.
“It was also realized that forestry sector requires more attention that provides suitable environment to ecosystem, biodiversity as well as wildlife. However, it was pointed out in the Conference that comprehensive mechanism and strategy have to be made to develop and conserve the forestry sector at national and international level,” Afridi said.
He said the participants of conference not only concentrated on the concerns of Pakistan about environmental issues but also appreciated the role of Islamabad in this regard. He said despite the fact that Pakistan was the most vulnerable country to the global warming and climate change but in order to achieve millennium development goals, it would leave no stone unturned.
‘Pakistan alone can’t face environmental challenges’
