LAHORE:Pakistan is the eighth largest country to be affected by climate change. If we do not take protective measures in Pakistan, there will be more floods next year. These views were expressed by the experts of the Meteorological Department on Tuesday at a national women’s assembly organised by South Asia Partnership Pakistan here in a local hotel.
A large number of women from the four provinces of Pakistan participated in the conference. Muhammad Tahseen, Executive Director SAP-PK, held the largest economies and corporations responsible for climate change.
Ahmed Rafay Alam, environmental lawyer and activist and organiser of Climate Action Pakistan, said climate is changing because of greenhouse gases which are made by burning what is taken out from the earth. There is no mention of climate in our Constitution, there is right to life though.
He shared how Shehla Zia vs Wapda was the case which acted as a spark in legislating around climate change in Pakistan for the first time. Rafay Alam gave an enlightening presentation; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 which 198 countries signed was about reducing greenhouse gases. Then Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1996, taking promise from big countries to limit warming to 2 degrees centigrade. This triggered protest and it was then decided in Paris agreement that global warming cannot go beyond 1.5 degrees. The bad news is that after UNFCCC, greenhouse gases have increased. The big countries have contributed to worsening the climate.
He said floods are manmade accident, not natural. He warned that by 2040, temperature in Pakistan will increase by 4-5 degree centigrade. Alam shared how corporations are primarily responsible for climate change globally and especially in the South Asian regions. Mussarat Qadeem, Chairperson SAP-PK, sharing the stories of women who are victims of the recent floods in Pakistan, said, “It is time that we keep our eyes and minds open but start using our hands and feet for some serious action.”
She emphasised on immediately taking baby steps around the use of new organic and environment-friendly farming techniques even if it is applied on very small pieces of land. She shared the experiences of women in India and how they saved the forests from being destroyed by literally risking their lives.
She said the National Disaster Management Authority needs to build its capacity. When the civil society in certain districts reached out to them for the safety of the community, they were told by the NDMA that they were only responsible for post disaster work, she said.
In the second session, Quetta district coordinator of the JAZBA programme, Yasmeen Mughal underlined the need for correct data on flood hit areas and then plan with focus on women. Shehnaz Akbar, regional coordinator of Paiman from Rajanpur district, emphasised on the need to include women in working groups and post disaster planning.
Syeda Imtiaz Fatima, a person with disability (PWD), shared the horrifying experiences of PWD in times of crisis. She demanded that laws for the protection and welfare of PWDs must be passed immediately and they be made an integral part of this process.
A transgender rights activist, Zanaya Chaudhry, complained hardly any organisation reached out to transgenders for support in flood-hit areas. She also demanded further legislation for the protection transgenders’ rights acknowledging the role of SAP-PK for being a constant support in what has been done so far.
Marvi Awan, Executive Director Women Protection Centre Hyderabad, also stressed the importance of data on all the aforementioned issues so that policy and plans can be made accordingly.
District councilor DI Khan, KP said that there is a dire need of expansion of work done by organizations like SAP-PK so that knowledge and information reaches the maximum number of people.
Nida Azhar, Secretary Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, said PCSW is working on data which will be available once the researches are completed. She said older women need the most support.
Nosheen Hamid, former MNA, who has been one of the main advocates in the parliament for legislation on violence against women, said male parliamentarians are generally not very supportive in legislating for the welfare of women.
Women parliamentarians have been actively working to address climate change but most of them are not on direct seats. There should be more representation of women, she said. Others who spoke on the occasion were Rizwana Naveed Additional Secretary Human Rights department, Nadeem Ashraf Member Punjab NCHR, Shabnam Rasheed Programme Manager at SAP-PK and Irfan Mufti Deputy Director SAP-PK.
