World Space Week starts at SUPARCO

The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on Friday launched World Space Week, aligning with the global theme "Space and Climate Change."

The opening ceremony marked the start of a city-wide education and awareness campaign, drawing participation from schools, colleges, universities, astronomy clubs, and scientific societies. Competitions will be held between male and female students.

While speaking as the special guest at the ceremony, Dr Jameel Kazmi, Vice Chancellor of Fatimah University, spotlighted the significance of space-based solutions in combating climate change during the World Space Week event. Pakistan has been immensely impacted by climate change and there is a need to raise awareness on this topic in schools and universities, he added.

Dr Kazmi also spoke about the need for sustainable urban plantation practices. "In urban plantations, we often introduce alien trees from other countries, which destroy diversity. We should focus on planting fruit trees and assign their care to someone, rather than just planting and forgetting," he said. "Regrettably, most trees planted during photo sessions in plantation drives do not survive, with only 10% thriving."

In his presentation, Dr Kazmi discussed the global importance of space technology since the launch of the first satellite in 1957.

Dr Hanifur Rehman, Director General of SUPARCO, launched the event with a welcome speech, highlighting SUPARCO's potential to transform non-agricultural land into agricultural land.