Ambassador of Netherlands in Pakistan H.E. Marcel de Vink has said that Pakistan is not a major contributor to environmental pollution, but a serious victim of it because of resulting climatic changes.
The climate change, he said, is indeed one of the main challenges facing humankind today. He said that the complexity of this phenomenon would influence all aspects of our lives and the lives of generations to come as our climate is changing faster than we had thought.
While speaking at Oxfam Novib and Indus Consortium’s conference ‘Youth for Action on Climate Change’, H.E. Marcel de Vink said we are already witnessing scorching droughts and torrential rains, rising sea-levels and lowering water tables due to climate change whereas vital ecosystems is being upset and key weather patterns getting disrupted. Besides others, the event was participated by Senator Dr. Ashok Kumar, Dr. Hassan Nasir, Deputy Secretary General of National Party, Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, senior member of academia and students from various universities across Pakistan, youth representatives, CBOs and media.
“As the climate in Pakistan changes – drier winters, hotter summers, and more extreme monsoon seasons – farming becomes more unpredictable, once beneficial seasonal floods become catastrophes, and energy resources will be strained”, H.E. Marcel de Vink said. If nothing is done, especially Pakistan’s youth and its most vulnerable will be badly affected.
However, he said he was glad that Oxfam Novib is now helping to fix this in addressing the worst vulnerabilities and empowering Pakistan’s most exposed citizens, before climate change reduces them to victims. It is time for action now and my country is keen to continue to play our role in this field. The Netherlands has been a leader in the climate negotiations, and has dedicated a lot of research to tracing the causes and finding real solutions alleviating climate change.
While reading the message on behalf of Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr. Hassan Nasir said that Balochistan government is committed to take right actions in the face of climate change and willing to collaborate with organizations like Oxfam Novib that are working to minimize the impacts of climate change.
Climate Change and Environment Director General Sajjad Ahmad Bhutta said Pakistan was likely to face floods every year due to unexpected up and down fluctuation of temperatures and glacier melts. Hence, he said, government of Pakistan was working on various measures to minimize the impacts of such climatic behaviours.
Arid Agriculture University, Vice Chancellor, Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, while reflecting on various dimensions of the climate change, said that we have abilities to make this challenge as an opportunity. The only thing we need to do is to evaluate the impacts of climate change and respond them with adaptive measures at every level.
Interim Associate Country Director Oxfam Novib Pakistan, Javeria Afzal, said we have the phenomenon of increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather in Pakistan its prime area of focus. She said that the climate change is a very real threat to food production ability of vulnerable communities.
Earlier youth representatives from different universities presented policy asks on climate change and food security urging the government to take right actions to secure the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable communities. The efforts of the youth were also acknowledged through awards on best documentaries and essays covering the issues of climate change and food security.