WWF-Pakistan urges quick action on climate change before Earth's destruction

LAHORE(Staff Report) - WWF-Pakistan is urging world leaders gathering in Paris to ensure that they conclude a deal that meets the demands of science and reduces greenhouse gas emissions sufficiently to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan on Monday said, "2015 has proven to be an unusual year for Pakistan due to unpredictable weathering events across the entire country. A mini-cyclone in Peshawar killed 44 people; heat waves in Karachi killed more than 1,500 people, cloudbursts and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) in various areas of Gilgit-Baltistan affected 35,717 people and floods across the country affected more than 1.5 million people".

"At COP21 it is important that Pakistan’s leadership invest more in alternate energy and effectively communicate its high vulnerability case to the international community to seek support for climate change adaptation", he stressed.

Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International, said, ‘science is telling us that we need to act quickly on climate change and Paris is our moment. We need a strong climate plan that will cut carbon emissions, promote renewable energy, provide promised finance and protect powerful carbon sink ecosystems like forests and the oceans. Only strong action in Paris can help meet the scale and pace needed to avoid runaway climate change and secure a safer future for us all.’

The Paris meeting is an important opportunity to protect vulnerable people and natural systems of the world that are disproportionately impacted by climate change. To be effective, a climate deal should include a global goal for adaptation and provide strong solutions to address loss and damage due to climate change.