Sherry urges joint action against climate crisis

ISLAMABAD: Senator Sherry Rehman has emphasized that the world is grappling with complex and interwoven challenges and the nexus of water, energy, food and ecosystem is central to “our quest for sustainable development and security”.

“The Islamic world, rich in history and potential, faces unique challenges that necessitate innovative and collaborative solutions,” she said while addressing the 25th Scientific Conference of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS). The conference titled “Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus for the Security of the OIC Countries” was organized by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) in collaboration with the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS), the Higher Council for Science and Technology (HCST) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan. It was attended by scholars and academicians of the OIC member states.

Sherry made a strong case for rethinking artificial boundaries between the ecosystems that support water, energy and food in a series of profound inter-dependence. “Water is indispensable for agriculture, energy production and maintaining ecosystems. Energy drives water extraction, treatment and distribution as well as food production and processing. Food security hinges on the availability of water and energy, while ecosystems provide essential services that underpin these sectors.”

She said achieving food security amidst climate change and limited arable land required serious innovations in agricultural practices including smart agriculture and biotechnology. “The ecosystem holds this together. We are focused on protecting our ecosystem, which is vital for the services it provides, such as water purification, flood control and biodiversity. We will need to manage our water resources more efficiently as OIC countries, including technologies such as desalination, wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting. Water is seen by many populations as an infinite resource, which it is not.” She unpacked unique challenges faced by OIC countries in managing this nexus and said the water, energy, food and ecosystem nexus had been at the forefront of climate change conferences and multilateral dialogue for years. “Many member states are characterized by arid and semi-arid climates, limited water resources and rapidly growing populations. These challenges are further compounded by political instability and economic constraints.”

She unbundled four key challenges: water scarcity, energy access and sustainability, food security and ecosystem preservation. She said: “Over-consumption and our relationship with natural and manufactured resources must be questioned now. What we reuse, what we repair, and what we consider finite will change the balance. We will have no food or energy nexus left to sustain if our oceans and water bodies are filled with more plastic than fish by 2050; that is the trajectory we are on. We have many bad habits that must change. One of them is an addiction to single-use plastics, which are choking the planet’s landfills and waterways in unimaginable proportions.”

She underscored the significance of the River Indus as a lifeline for food security and the need to accelerate the shift to renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy. With a call for collective action, she stressed: “The climate change respects no boundaries and that our interconnected challenges require swift and decisive responses. How we respond to the climate crisis is in our hands. Let us take care of our region because we are all interconnected, and the climate change knows no boundaries. National boundaries don’t stop an angry Nature. These interconnected challenges require swift and decisive responses.”