ADB project to cut emissions

Launches initiative to tackle glacier melt and boost resilience

ISLAMABAD:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Pakistan, starting with a pilot study in Sheikhupura and Okara districts of Punjab to enhance water productivity, according to a statement on Sunday.

The pilot study includes trials of alternative wetting and drying methods for land, the ADB report stated. It added that the ADB was cooperating with Pakistan to reduce the environmental impact on rice cultivation.

Under the Paris Agreement and the Global Methane Agreement, there will be a green revolution in Pakistan's agriculture. For that the farmers needed to adopt alternative methods for better use of water. Rice exports from Pakistan had risen by 95% in 10 years, amounting to $3 billion.

Separately, the ADB said that a new regional programme titled 'Glaciers to Farms' had been launched on Sunday designed to promote sustainable water use and food security in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan, amid the catastrophic impacts of accelerated glacial melt due to climate change.

Supported by the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) Project Preparation Facility, the ADB would conduct risk assessments of glacial melt in Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, forming the scientific and technical basis for the Glacier to Farms programme.

"With temperatures in the region projected to rise by up to 6° Celsius by 2100, the loss of glacial mass threatens the fragile balance of ecosystems, jeopardising water supply for agriculture and hydropower, and risking the livelihoods of more than 380 million people," the ADB said in a press release.

In this regard a declaration was signed by ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa, GCF Chief Investment Officer Henry Gonzalez besides the relevant ministers of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, during the COP29 summit in Baku last week.

"As melting glaciers change waterflows, disrupt lives, and destroy ecosystems, we must act now," Asakawa said. "As Asia and the Pacific's climate bank, we are pleased to be joined by key partners to launch this programme to drive international collaboration and deliver results," he added.

"Recognising the profound vulnerability of mountain communities and ecosystems, this programme is instrumental in safeguarding our precious water resources and empowering those most at risk, said Gonzalez, according to the press release.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)