Climate Change law

Letter March 30, 2017
Monumental challenge is to translate climate change law into local community action

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, which is ranked as the seventh most vulnerable country, despite its less than one per cent contribution to climate altering global emissions, has now what we call a “climate change law” after the enactment of the Pakistan Climate Change Act of 2016. Like many others, being a humble student of law, political science and chemical/environmental engineering, I consider it as a meaningful legislation on climate change.

So far, various laws have been ratified to strengthen climate change adaptation in the country. It is a painful reality that we have a plethora of relevant laws on environment and climate, but those are also not in practice in the earnest sense anywhere in the country.

The suggested Council and Authority in the newly enacted law will be of no effect, if aficionado sort of environment lovers, climate experts are not made part of these bodies. If  the (re)tired deadwoods or those who do not understand the sensitivity and sensibility of the subject are placed in the prime positions then doomsday scenario, which is in the store, can’t be averted.

However, the monumental challenge is to translate them into local community action to save lives, and reduce disaster risks and economic losses.

May I suggest to people in power and authority or those who are in the race to get slots in the proposed bodies that national debates should be framed as an issue of managing the risk that climate change poses to agricultural production based on two dominant narratives: firstly, that agriculture needs to be made robust in the face of climate change; and secondly, that agriculture should be considered as a part of wider development efforts.

Hashim Abro

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30th, 2017.

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