FAISALABAD City News

French envoy for joint efforts to fight climate changes
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FAISALABAD: French Ambassador Martine Dorance has called for joint efforts to fight climate changes to combat food insecurity, droughts and floods.
Addressing an international seminar on climate change issue at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad here, she said that the impact of climate changes on the development of countries was a serious issue, which had to be addressed collectively. She said that the 21st session of the conference of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Changes known as COP 21 or Paris Climate 2015 would be held in December. She said that the COP21 would be the largest event in France in which 40,000 participants from across the globe would participate. She said that the experts from Pakistan would also participate in COP21.
Speaking on the occasion, UAF Vice-Chancellor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan called for taking some collective steps to deal with the issue. He said: “We are devastating the planet with our own hands.” He said that five of the top 10 countries affected by the climate changes in the last 20 years were situated in South Asia. He said that the forests were being shaved off just to earn money. He said that the UAF was working with 43 countries under the Agricultural Model Inter-Comparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP) to fight the climate change scenarios for sustainability of the world. He called for setting up an independent climate change ministry.
Dean Faculty of Agriculture Dr Muhammad Arshad said that the climate changes would lead to extreme temperatures, causing flooding in some areas and drought in others. He said that impact of increasing mercury level, damage to the ozone layer and melting glaciers was leading towards the food insecurity. He said that it would further worsen the lives of the people.
Alian Gioda from the French Institute for Research and Development said that the climate changes were posing a threat to survival. He said that water was the base of the life. The water resources were shrinking due to melting of glaciers by the climate changes, he added. He said that the latest mitigating strategies and collaborative efforts would open up a new avenue to deal with the situation.
Climate Change Chair Head Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Chattha said that Punjab temperature might go up by 2.8 C in day and 2.2 C in the night from 2040 to 2069 owing to the climate changes. He said that the climate changes could cause 10 maunds reduction in all major crops. He stressed upon the need to introuce early warning system, re-define agro metrological zone and adopt other mitigating measures to face the situation. He said that they were working on agricultural, economic and climatic model for the farmers.