Minister asks academia, researches to find solution to climate change

HARIPUR: Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir on Thursday said that the academia and researchers must come up with a workable solution to fight the threat Pakistan was facing in the wake of climate change.

Addressing the participants of a three-day International Conference titled “Climate resilient smart soil management,” the minister said that the government was ready to translate their scientific research into policies.

The Department of Soil Science, University of Haripur, has organised the conference. Researchers, faculty members, scientists from different from across the country and abroad and vice chancellors of different universities and students were in attendance. Zartaj Gul said that Pakistan was under threat for the last few years and was falling between 5 to 10 risk factor index globally.

“We cannot predict that for how long it will remain so and if we do not act now it would be too late,” she added. The minister urged the scientists and researchers to come up with solution to the land degradation, threats to biodiversity and desertification that the country was going to face.

She said it was a good omen that for the first time the academia, researchers, universities and environmentalists had gathered to discuss climate challenges.

She said that a hefty amount of Rs26 billion had been allocated from the national kitty for ecosystem restoration, biodiversity, wildlife and geological survey of Pakistan and billion tree tsunami drive.

Pakistan Agriculture Research Council Chairman Dr Azeem Khan, Chairman Soil Science Department of UoH Dr Ali Raza Gormani, Prof Dr Anwarul Hasan Gilani and UOH VC were prominent among those who spoke on the occasion.