Weather vulnerability: Implementation on national policy reviewed

Minister asks provincial govts to set up climate change sections

ISLAMABAD: The climate change minister has called upon provincial governments to improve their progress on implementation of the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) to reduce vulnerability and enhance adaptation against risks.

Chairing a progress review meeting on Friday, Senator Mushahidullah Khan said “Though the well-thought policy was hammered out by federal government, it is now the responsibility of provincial governments to put climate change mitigation and adaption-related remedial measures.”

The minister also asked the provincial governments’ representatives to set up climate change sections in their respective planning and development departments for effective collaboration between provincial and federal governments on NCCP and Framework for Implementation of Climate Change Policy (FICCP).

“Performance of provinces is not praiseworthy as far as implementation of short-term, medium-term and long-term policy recommendations are concerned as proposed in the policy,” Climate Change Ministry Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan told the minister.

The secretary also apprised the minister about the progress on massive tree plantation across the country saying, “A comprehensive tree plantation programme has been drawn up in support from provinces except Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, which will be implemented in collaboration with CDA, WAPDA, NHA and Pakistan Railways.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2015.