CUI inks agreement for plastic waste management

Islamabad:Comsats University Islamabad (CUI) signed a research project agreement for plastic waste management.

Naz Baloch, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change participated in the signing ceremony as chief guest. Prof. Dr. Sajid Qamar, acting rector CUI & Dean Faculty of Sciences, Favad Soomro, Head Engro Foundation along with senior officials from Engro Corporation and CUI participated in the signing ceremony.

The project agreement was signed by Dr Jabir Hussain Syed, Assistant Professor, CUI and Saad Hussain Shah from Engro Polymers and Chemicals Ltd Pakistan.

The project is aimed at understanding the socio-economic and political factors that lead to low implementation of Basel Amendments through a trans-disciplinary approach and to conduct a value-chain analysis, social network analysis, and policy coherence study to identify these factors. Using these research outputs the project is expected to enhance the capacity of government stakeholders and help them develop a policy action-plan. The project is funded by Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research.

While speaking at the occasion, Prof. Sajid Qamar, acting rector, Comsats University Islamabad presented an overview of the vision, academics and research programs of CUI. He highlighted the research and development activities of CUI particularly in the areas of Climate Change and Environmental Research at various campuses. Dr. Jabir Hussain Syed, the project team lead informed the gathering of the envisaged goals of the project as well as the project activities. He added that the project will play an important role in capacity building of government agencies and ministries, particularly with regard to the import/export of hazardous waste from Pakistan.

In her concluding remarks Naz Baloch, Parliamentary Secretary on Climate Change said that currently one-third of Pakistan is experiencing a severe flood-crisis due to extreme and unpredicted weather events because of Regional Climate Change.

She expressed concern on the growing global greenhouse gasses emissions of the developed world which were affecting countries like Pakistan needed long-term mitigation strategies. She said that the lack of awareness in Pakistan on environmental challenges including plastic pollution needs urgent attention for preserving the environment and achieving the goal of a clean and green Pakistan.