Govt to set up Climate Change Council

Islamabad : The government has decided to set up a Climate Change Council that would recommend measures to promote climate-friendly sustainable development and restoration of green areas in the country.

According to the details, the Climate Change Council would comprise the minister for climate change, the secretary climate change and environment ministers of all federating units and other representatives of government and private organisations.

An official said the Council would be first of its kind and its main purpose would be to encourage steps to protect vulnerable sectors against negative impacts of the climate change.

“It will hold periodical meetings and also make effective ties with the provincial governments to implement the national policies at grassroots level,” he said

He said “The rise in temperatures will affect human health, life styles, food production, economic activity and residential and migration patterns. The atmospheric circulation patterns are likely to change with alterations in the frequency and seasonality of precipitation and an overall increase in the rate of evaporation and precipitation.”

“Removal of vegetation, construction of buildings, roads, pavements and other human transformations of the natural environment, together with direct heat generation from human activity, have caused rise in the temperatures of urban areas above those of surrounding rural areas,” he said.

He said “We have to make a change in our development model otherwise the situation will go from bad to worse in the coming years.”

Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman has said the Climate Change Council would play its due role to enable the country to cope with the growing challenges related to the climate and natural environment.

“It is not all about plantation of trees because we have to take certain other measures to protect our country from negative impacts of the climate change,” she said.