Global warming affecting overall biodiversity

Right steps needed to tackle negative impacts of climate change

Islamabad

The global warming is causing negative impacts on glaciers, river flows, underground water recharge systems, agriculture and overall biodiversity in Pakistan due to which drastic measures are needed to cope with this situation.

According to a report prepared by Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC), there is a serious need for encouraging farmers to adopt high irrigation efficiency systems, methods and techniques on farm, which would also require policy interventions by the concerned departments including Pakistan Agricultural and Research Council.

"We need to take corrective measures and work hard in collaboration with relevant government and non-governmental organisations on fast-track basis for hammering out mitigation and adaptation plans to tackle the negative impacts of the climate change on different sectors of economy, particularly irrigated and rain-fed agriculture, which is mainstay of national economy,” it said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the GCISC has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Italian organization EvK2CNR aiming at facilitating implementation and coordination of research activities in Pakistan and to boost the collaboration in carrying out studies on climate change and identification of appropriate adaptation measures. The report said the mountain ecosystems are vulnerable to unfolding climate change impacts, which have expedited the pace of glacial melt, disturbed rainfall pattern and affected the livelihood of millions of those living in mountain areas and down the stream.