Eco-preservation: To protect the environment, it is best to consume Earth with care

Students and faculty members at the University of Karachi were educated on various methods of data analysis/


Our Correspondent June 05, 2015
PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: To celebrate 'World Environment Day' a seminar was held at the Institute of Environment Studies at the University of Karachi (KU). The theme of this year's seminar focused on sustainable development and was titled 'Seven billion dreams, one planet, consume with care'.

The seminar was attended by 50 PhD and MPhil students, along with faculty members from different departments. A workshop was also held for the students to teach them how to analyse environmental data using mathematical and statistical techniques.

Prof Dr Tahseen Ahmed Jilani, assistant professor at KU, said the climate is taking a turn that is not in favour of humanity. "We, as citizens, and the government are not taking any action regarding the rapid climate change," said Jilani. Sea levels are rising, which is not a good sign for the environment, he claimed. According to Jilani, the changes in the environment are the cause of increase in the skin diseases, hypertension and cancer.

Jilani said every year the temperature of Karachi increases by approximately three degrees. "Our government is planning to establish a coal project because that is the need of the hour, but it is not good for people's health and it will increase pollution," he said.

"Due to the melting of glaciers, the emission of carbon dioxide gas is increasing. We are ruined now," he quoted a scientist as saying. He said the only way to cope with this issue and to save water is to construct dams.

The director of the Institute of Environmental Science, Prof Dr Tariq Masood Ali Khan, said the day has been organised in light of the 1972 conference on human environment in Stockholm. "It [World Environment Day] is a day that aims to stimulate worldwide awareness of the environment and encourage political attention and action," he said.

The seminar was designed to provide students with hands-on computing tutorials and presentations from qualified teachers. Dr Khan said the aim of the seminar was to bring together graduates and scientists in environmental statistics and its related fields to explore contemporary topics in applied environmental data modelling.

The faculty of science dean, Prof Dr Viqar Husain, said this seminar will provide the ability to analyse and evaluate the utility of different types of data. "How the data is collected and analysed shows the research quality," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2015.

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