Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam has said that global warming is adversely affecting glaciers, ecosystems, lives and livelihoods of the people in mountain regions around the world. However, addressing the challenges of rapidly melting glaciers, loss of ecosystem and protection of lives and livelihoods is not possible without the global community join hands to tackle the drivers of the global warming, particularly containing emissions of heat-trapping gases. Chairing a meeting with Italian non-governmental organisation EvK2CNR here on Wednesday, the PM’s Coordinator observed that soaring temperatures in the mountain regions including Pakistan are accompanied by changes in seasonal weather patterns, the melting of glaciers, the thawing of permafrost, and reductions in the extent and duration of snow cover. As a result, water flows and its availability for industrial, household and agricultural uses has been shrinking and becoming increasingly unreliable, she added. “Initiatives, which can help slow down global warming, are direly needed to overcome devastating impacts of climate change on glaciers, mountains, ecosystems, water flows, agriculture, public health and education,” Romina Khurshid Alam stressed. Since the early 1900s, many glaciers around the world have been rapidly melting. Human activities are at the root of this phenomenon. Specifically, since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions have raised temperatures, even higher in the poles, and as a result, glaciers are rapidly melting, calving off into the sea and retreating on land. She said that adopting sustainable means of production and consumption is key to tackle climate change and its impacts on various socio-economic sectors, particularly water, agriculture, energy, health and education. Romina Khurshid Alam told the meeting that the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif is particularly serious and committed towards building Pakistan’s environmental sustainability and climate resilience in all socio-economic sectors and has directed his team to leave no stone unturned to stem environmental degradation and increase the country’s endurance against devastating fallouts of climate change. “I will pro-actively engage at all levels with all stakeholders and organisations, with reliable track-record of working and committed to help Pakistan achieve environmental sustainability goals and increase its capability to deal with impacts of global warming on the various socio-economic sectors,” the PM’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid Alam vowed. Meanwhile, the President EvK2CNR, Agostino Da Polenza, apprised the PM’s Coordinator about various initiatives being taken by his organization for socio-economic development, uplift of education, protection of mountain ecosystems and protected or environmentally-sensitive areas in Pakistan’s mountain areas including Gilgit-Baltistan, which is home to the picturesque mountain peaks. He also informed the PM’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid Alam that his organisation has also conducted various research studies in collaboration with international and Pakistani organisations on impacts of climate crisis on mountains and glaciers and suggested various policy measures to cope with these negative impacts. The senior EvK2CNR representative also lauded the present government’s interest in environmental conservation and protection as well as building the country's resilience through various adaptation and mitigation measures and its interest in tapping renewable energy. He assured the PM’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid of his organisations’s all-out support in mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change on glaciers and building resilience of the mountain ecosystems, people and their livelihoods.
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