Pakistani experts call for holistic, dynamic solutions to address climate change

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani experts said on Thursday that countries around the globe, including Pakistan, need to form holistic and dynamic solutions to address the challenge of climate change.

The international community must work hand in hand to save future generations from the adverse impact of climate change, the experts and officials said during a seminar on climate change organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), an Islamabad-based think tank.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Farooq, a senior official at the Ministry of Climate Change, said that Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world.

"Pakistan is losing 8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to climate-recurring catastrophes, including floods and heat waves, and it has crossed the tipping point of the climate crisis and entered into a new normal," the official said.

He said that the federal government, in coordination with provinces, has been taking steps to avert the negative impacts of climate change amid the rising magnitude of climate catastrophes in the country, highlighting that adaptation cells have been created at federal and provincial levels in this regard.

Mentioning the development of the baseline data based on modern techniques, Farooq said that the Multi-Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment is being done for high-resolution climate data.

Amina Maharjan, an agricultural expert and senior specialist of livelihoods and migration at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, called for a futuristic approach to address shortcomings hampering climate-resilient development.

"There are methods to explore future pathways in terms of foresight, scenario development, development of efficient strategies and understanding foresight beyond predictions," she said.

On anticipatory approaches, it is required to have systems capable of working out disaster risk reduction, climate change anticipatory adaptation and foresight models, Shafqat Munir, deputy executive director at SDPI, said.

Munir said that the government should also focus on sensitizing communities and individuals about the climate change issue.

The experts agreed that the government and policymakers should come up with an inclusive approach to meet the exacerbating climate crisis.