‘Average global temperature to rise earlier than projected’

Islamabad : Dr. Ghulam Rasul, former Director-General of Pakistan Meteorological Department, observed that the projected 1.5-degree Celsius rise in global temperature could occur in the 2040s, which is ten years sooner than the earlier projections.

Dr. Rasul was addressing an event organised here by the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) in collaboration with Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) and the Mountain and Glacier Protection Organisation (MGPO).

Dr. Rasul said that a slight rise in global temperatures could be disastrous for large segments of the population especially the most vulnerable communities living in the mountain regions. He shared that Pakistan was host to more than 7,000 glaciers, which were showing mixed behaviours, wherein the south- and east-facing glaciers were melting at a faster rate than the ones facing north.

He stressed that while a lot was being said about the Karakoram Anomaly, which maintains that the glaciers of the Karakoram mountain range are either surging or are stable, they were only 121 glaciers in total and, thus, constitute only one percent of the total number of glaciers.

He cautioned that overall the glaciers were melting at a much faster rate. He further added that the mountain ecosystems could not be isolated from other ecosystems because there were downstream and upstream connections between them.

Aisha Khan, the CEO, CSCCC, said that mountains were an important source of water and livelihoods for communities not only in the mountainous areas but also in the downstream river basins. She added that imbalances in hydrological flows had led to disasters in the past and could do so in the future as well. She highlighted that climate change was affecting mountain ecosystems by speeding up the melting of glaciers as well as decreasing the levels of snow precipitation.

Former Chairperson, National Disaster Management Authority, Lieutenant General (r) Nadeem Ahmed underscored the importance of ensuring a harmonious human relationship with nature and ecology for ensuring sustainable growth and avoiding natural disasters. He emphasised awareness-raising about ecology and environment among mountain communities to maintain the required ecological harmony. He also urged tourists traveling to mountainous areas to be mindful of environmental degradation and urged the government to provide the necessary infrastructure for tourists to assist them in being environmentally responsible. He termed the mountain communities as some of the most resilient and responsive communities.

Ahmed Kamal, Chairperson of, Federal Flood Commission, said that the western disturbance weather system had become quite erratic in recent years which had also affected the monsoon pattern and precipitation in the region. He called for establishing a community to the community early warning systems for flood response. Nadeem Riyaz, President, IRS, also spoke on the occasion.