Amin Aslam pledges to cope with climate change challenges

ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Monday has pledged to boost Pakistan’s climate vulnerability by increasing the country’s tree cover, water conservation and storage, and climate-resilient food security measures.

He expressed these views while chairing the first briefing after taking the oath of his office.

Highlighting the unprecedented role of forests in overall environmental development and climate resilience against disasters, Aslam vowed to expand billion tree programme of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to all provinces and administrative regions.

Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Khizir Hayat Khan gave a detailed briefing to the prime minister’s advisor.

Aslam said that growing air pollution is a major issue of the country and tackling of it requires strong policy measures. “I will take all-out measures to strengthen technical capacity and increase the human power of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) and help it scale up its institutional role for air pollution control and overall environmental improvement of the capital city of Islamabad and surrounding areas,” he said.

The advisor also highlighted that Prime Minster Imran Khan is highly committed to tackling environmental issues, air pollution, climate change and increasing the country’s water conservation and storage, biodiversity loss and unlawful wildlife hunting.

“However, the role of climate change ministry in actualising the commitment of the prime minister to environmental protection and conservation is of unprecedented importance and I would leave no stone unturned to play my part in this regard,” he stressed.

Earlier, during the briefing, the climate change secretary told the prime minister’s advisor that primary roles of the ministry include formation of national policies, plans, strategies and programmes with regard to environmental protection, preservation, pollution, ecology, forestry, wildlife, biodiversity, climate change and desertification.

The climate change secretary also shared details of the development and non-development budget for the ongoing fiscal year. He told the advisor that Rs802.699 million have been allocated for the development projects whereas Rs175.212 million have been earmarked for non-development budgetary head.

The briefing was attended by all senior officers of the ministry and its attached departments.