LAHORE (Staff Report) – The Karakoram International University Gilgit-Baltistan (KIU), in collaboration with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan and other organisations, is holding a three-day conference on climate change in Gilgit Baltistan from today (Thursday).
The topic of the conference is “International Conference on Mountains and Climate Change – Resources, Challenges and Opportunities for Better Life and Livelihoods”.
The last day of the conference will be followed by a field visit to highlight the impacts of climate change in the region.
The conference aims to raise awareness on climate change in Pakistan so that mountain communities can adapt and mitigate this disastrous phenomenon and the government can take immediate steps to provide local communities the necessary support.
Pakistan is facing losses worth billions of dollars due to climate change. According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2012 developed by German Watch Institute, Pakistan is ranked number three after Haiti and the Philippines in the list of top ten countries most affected by this scientific phenomenon.
Therefore, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and decisive policy-making are essential to save the nation from further damages both of lives and property.
Experts from Kathmandu University, Nepal; Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway; ICIMOD; Politecnico di Milano, Italy; College of Environmental Protection VelenjeTrgmladostiVelenje, Slovenia, EU; EV-K2-CNR; and Institute for Ecosystem Study, Italy will discuss various aspects of climate change to sensitize masses on the pressing issue.
National experts from KIU, WWF-Pakistan, AKRSP, University of Agriculture, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), National University of Science and Technology (NUST), government departments and other educational institutions will also highlight how climate change is impacting lives, livelihoods and fragile ecosystems in Pakistan especially mountain communities who stand on the frontline of climate change.
