‘Bring change in behaviour to save the environment’

Minister says students must play effective role to make country habitable

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Environment Protection Bao Muhammad Rizwan has said there was a need to bring change in human behaviour to save the environment for ourselves as well as for the coming generations.

The minister expressed these views while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the three-day second international conference on “Emerging Trends in Earth and Environmental Sciences” at the Law College Auditorium, University of Punjab (PU) on Wednesday.

“We must understand the implications of environmental pollution,” he said, adding, “We should keep our surroundings clean to protect the environment.”

The environment protection minister reminded the audience that “Cleanliness is half of our faith but we do not take care of it”.

He said the students should convince others to preserve the environment and play an effective role in this regard.

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“The temperature of the planet earth is increasing and if it continues to rise, there would be no habitable place left on earth,” he warned.

“The rapidly melting glaciers would submerge all the land which is indeed quite alarming which is why environmental protection is the first priority of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.”

He gave the details of the several initiatives being undertaken by the government for environmental protection in the province.

PU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Niaz Ahmed Akhter said that the varsity was funding several research projects aimed at saving the environment.

Ahmed said climate change is a problem for all of us and we should all work together to reduce environmental pollution which triggers it.

Various scientific techniques have been invented to eliminate pollution from the environment, he added.

He asked the participants to recommend strategies to mitigate this escalating crisis so that these could be compiled and sent to the policymakers for effective lawmaking.

The PU VC also urged the students to take up research that have a positive impact on the socio-economic status of the people.

“The university administration would fund those projects,” he assured the students.

PU College of Earth and Environmental Sciences (CEES) Principal Dr Sajid Rashid Ahmad said the conference had been organized to explore the emerging trends in environmental sciences.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2020.