Minister defend govt’s role in overcoming climate change

Federal Minster and Adviser to PM on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam defended that Pakistan is actively playing its maximum role to overcoming the climate change, as per the UN Climate Summit focuses on whole world.

Minister defend govt’s role in overcoming climate changeHe was talked in a session, titled “Climate Change and Challenges for Pakistan”, at the Babar School of Science and Engineering of the Lums (Lahore University of Management Sciences).

He explained that “Pakistan is ready to struggle regardless of the fact that we do not even have that much of carbon emissions as compared to the heavily industrialized nations. We have less than 0.5pc of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are one of the lowest per capita emissions in the world”.

He said “we are the second most affected country so we have to take money out of our social sector budget to place into the climate change so that others emissions don’t affect us.”

He further said political representation is very important in the movement to overcoming the effects of climate change as the PTI did in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had evidenced.

He added that We set up five-year targets there and the Billion Tree Tsunami came with a success. Green jobs were created in most parts of rural areas.  Government in KP had 60pc natural forests which allow to be preserved from climate change. Tree tsunami had increased forest cover from 20 to 26.6pc, bringing an additional 6.3pc of area under forest cover.

As a result, the project had been authorized by FAO, WWF, IUCN, World Economic Forum, and Bonn Challenge. Now we have received several Green Grants owing to project, including those from Japanese private firms, Chinese banks, and Asian Development Bank. We have received $150m in grants over the past one year.

There are several projects in progress for decreasing in carbon emissions as well. the government aimed to have a 30pc shift to e-vehicles by 2023, however a lot of that depends on manufacturers of vehicle’s company in Pakistan.

He said that Islamabad had already took initiative of banning plastic bag, and it was working well. Alternative material bags of 50 kiosks available throughout the city, and the public and business owners are well cooperating.