Speakers call for global response

Say conference not only about climate change but a step towards a safe world

ISLAMABAD: Speakers have said that stemming the tide of climate change was a collective responsibility that required a global response.

They were speaking at a public talk titled “Climate Change and International Security”, organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) here on Monday.



Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, who was the chief guest, said that the glacial melt has the potential to negatively impact availability of water. He mentioned the fact that the average temperature rise in Pakistan was also expected to be higher than the global average.

He said that stemming the tide of climate change was a collective undertaking that required a global response. He advocated that a new global climate agreement should be premised at the Paris climate conference on the principles of United Nations framework convention.

Aziz said that “we are fully committed to preventing any negative fallouts of climate change on our socio-economic wellbeing. The Vision “2025” of the government clearly recognizes global warming and climate change”.



Deputy Special Representative for the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) Philippe Lacoste quoted factors including rising temperatures, extreme weather conditions, costal degradations, glacial melt etc that were adversely impacting the climate.



He said that defence forces must be ready for humanitarian relief. “Defence forces should also build disaster relief structures. Security forces also need to improve the conditions of harbours,” he said.

Lacoste said that Paris conference was not only about climate change but a step towards a better and a safe world.



ISSI Director General Masood Khan said that the main objective of the Paris conference will be to review the implementation of the ‘Rio Convention’ that was adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 as the international response to climate change. He also mentioned that as a vulnerable country to climate change, Pakistan along with other developing countries will have work towards transition to a low carbon economy and climate resilient society.

Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Arif Ahmad Khan stressed the need for a shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources.

French Ambassador Martine Dorance mentioned that the Paris conference aims to reach a universal agreement that will limit the rise in the average global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. “There is real hope for success, but it is also an enormous task.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2015.