‘Pakistan facing many climate change effects’

‘Islamabad: Pakistan is on the 135th number on the list of countries emitting carbon emissions and is moving up on the list of countries most affected by climate change. Pakistan is facing many climate change effects in the form of glacier melting, flooding, desertification and sea intrusion.

This was stated by Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid on Wednesday during a meeting with Canadian HC Perry Calderwood and acting DG (South Asia) at the Canadian foreign ministry Julia Bentley.

Both sides agreed to collaborate on energy and research sector of Pakistan. The minister said Pakistan was taking many great initiatives on policy level to mitigate and adapt to climate change effects.

“We formulated National Climate Change policy in 2012 which was followed by the Climate Change Framework in 2013," he said. The minister also said recently the NA approved Climate Change Act under which the Climate Change Council would be established with PM as its head.

 "Environment is a provincial subject so all these initiatives have been taken in consultation with the provinces," he said.  He said many Chinese and Turkish companies were already working on energy sector in Pakistan. The minister said Pakistan had set up the world's biggest solar energy park of 1,000 megawatts in Pakistan. The visitors said many private Canadian companies were interested to invest in solar energy sector of Pakistan.