ISLAMABAD: Agriculture experts and research scientists here on Sunday called for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions down to zero by 2050 in order to mitigate the climate change challenges, which pose a serious threat for human beings, as well as, for the agriculture sector across the globe.
Addressing a pre-press conference of the 4th Climate Change Adaptation, Policy and Science Conference (CCAPS), they stressed on the need for adopting a holistic approach to prevent the mountains and glaciers from being destroyed by taking immediate measures to stop deforestation.
The event will be hosted by Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARDC) in collaboration with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan. It aims at building a platform for climate change adaptation and resilience, research in the region and creating synergies with actions currently conducted or proposed by other stakeholders.
It was informed that the event would be held here at a local hotel from February 26 to 27, which would be attended by renowned international researchers, policymakers and thought leaders from the USA, Canada, Netherlands, India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Speaking on the occasion, PARC Chairman Dr Yousuf Zafar said that the conference would facilitate in exchanging knowledge and ideas on science, policy and good practices related to climate change adaptation in the Hindu-Kush, Himalayan (HKH) region, and especially across the Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra river basins.
He further informed that the two-day conference being sponsored by the Canadian and United Kingdom (UK) government, was the 4th in a series.
He said that Pakistan was the most vulnerable in terms of climate change and had faced severe circumstances including droughts, flash floods and weather shifting, which had damaged the growth of the country’s agricultural national economy.
Despite the fact that Pakistan’s share was below nominal in greenhouse gas emissions, it had taken serious steps to fulfil its commitments to mitigate the climate change issues and challenges made in the Paris Convention.
The government had established a resource centre in PARC, a mountain centre in Gilgit, 12 centres in different ecologies and also developed a glacier inventory to intimate other stakeholders.
He said that the country was focusing on climate-smart agriculture practices in order to protect the natural environment and also for tackling the growing domestic demands of staple food and livestock.
Speaking on the occasion, ICIMOD Director General Dr David Molden said that climate change was a serious challenge for mountains and glaciers and the conference would help prepare a policy to prevent this problem besides, making people more resilient about climate change.
