Steps for tackling global climate crisis discussed

LAHORE:The Net Zero Pakistan (NZP) coalition organised a first of its kind Climate Action Simulation Workshop for the representatives of its 22 member companies on Friday.

The session was a part of NZP’s monthly town hall series to discuss collaborative industrial solutions to combat climate change and its impact on Pakistan’s manufacturing industry and consumers.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan’s Sustainability Initiative has developed the interactive simulation programme. The workshop was hosted by Artistic Milliners, one of Net Zero Pakistan’s founding members and conducted by certified trainer and renowned business management consultant Memosh Khawaja. Syeda Faiza Jamil, Head of Sustainability and Communications at Artistic Milliners said, “In addition to providing a good opportunity for experiential learning, we wanted this workshop to emphasise the collaborative approach our industry needs to take to effectively address the climate crises. Artistic Milliners became the first signatory from Pakistan of Net Zero commitment back in 2019. We continue to build from there and are now calling all industry partners to work together towards this ambitious goal.”

The workshop enabled the participants to jointly explore methods of tackling the global climate crisis using real data, a computer simulator and a UN summit-style discussion. Executive Director PET, Talha Khan said, “We must change the way we think about the climate crisis. We need to think of collaboration first instead of competition. We need all hands on deck for this one and I am sure that other sectors will be quick to follow the example being set by NZP members.”

Launched by Pakistan Environment Trust in 2021, the Net Zero Pakistan coalition is the first regional coalition from Global South to be recognised under UN’s Race to Zero campaign. The coalition serves as a national collaboration between companies, public institutions, and sectoral experts and aims to mobilise USD 1 billion towards decarbonisation in Pakistan for 100 plus companies from all sectors by the end of this year.