Pakistan Observer
Published Date: Oct 8, 2013
Pakistan affected with climate change
Experts during a discussion
at Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) were unanimous that Pakistan
is one of the most effected countries as far as the climate change in
concerned. The experts said Pakistan is experiencing worst effects of climate
change that include serious threats to its agriculture sectors due to
increasing scarcity of water resources. The decline in agricultural growth, the
experts maintained, would result in decline of country’s economy and enhance
the food insecurity.
They were speaking at a seminar on "Climate Change Repercussions for Pakistan:
Perspectives from the Fifth IPCC Assessment Report" organized by Sustainable
Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Monday. Kashif Salik Research
Associate, SDPI moderated the event.
While giving introductory remarks, Dr. Qamar Chaudhry, Deputy Director of
CDKN’s Asia Programme, said that IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change) is the most authoritative, intergovernmental scientific body on climate
change under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). It reviews and assesses
the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced,
and form a clear scientific view on the current state of knowledge in climate
change and its potential impacts. So far, the IPCC has produced four assessment
reports. Thousands of scientists and experts worldwide voluntarily contribute
to the preparation of these IPCC reports. He highlighted some key ways in which
scientific understanding has evolved since the IPCC’s last Assessment Report in
2007. "Evidence of the effects of human influence on the climate system has
continued to accumulate and strengthen since the Fourth Assessment Report
(AR4). The consistency of observed and modeled changes across the climate
system, including regional temperatures, the water cycle, global energy budget,
cry sphere and oceans (including aspects of ocean acidification), point to
global climate change that results primarily from anthropogenic increases in greenhouse
gas concentrations" he added.