Unwanted change

Pakistan is amongst the countries most vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change while it ranked 135th contributing to global warming. The Global Climate Risk Index 2017 under the Long Term Climate Risk Index has shown Pakistan elevating to number seven from eight out of ten countries most affected during the 1996-2015 period. It is heartening to note that the Ministry of Climate Change has developed a comprehensive strategy to address climate change, which identifies policy approaches and implementation pathways for both adaptation and mitigation. Also, the country’s vulnerability to climate change, adaptation and climate resilient development remains its essential priority along with adoption of comprehensive approach on disaster risk reduction and management.

It merits a mention that the country is pursuing a two-pronged strategy to ensure availability of required funds to tackle increasing challenge of climate change - comprising generation of own financial resources and grabbing due share from the Green Climate Fund. The fund has already approved 36 million dollar for the Climate Change Adaptation project responding to glacial outburst in the country’s northern areas. Since Pakistan is one of the most water stressed countries in the world, the implementation of the National Climate Change Policy has become top priority to ensure that the country is fully prepared to cope with this emerging situation.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar