'Global warming may cause devastating floods every year'

Global warming and changing weather patterns may cause devastating floods every year, Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi told a press conference here on Tuesday. "The unprecedented floods have affected 1/5 of Pakistan's total land area and more than 20 million people apart from causing serious damage to infrastructure and overall economy," Afridi said, adding that the cause of this flooding is attributed to global warming and changing weather patterns due to climate change.
The minister said that keeping in view the significance of the current situation, the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with One UN Joint Programme on Environment is organising an international conference on "Climate Change and Development" from October 21-22, 2010. The event would help the government in addressing more effectively the climate change threats in future through development of effective policies, strategies and programs on scientific lines.
The minister said that the objective of this conference is to gather a galaxy of experts on the subject from around the world to ponder over the science and policy in managing risks and impacts of climate change. The main focus of the conference is on the means of implementation to ensure access to technology and adequate financing to achieve sustainable development in Pakistan and other developing countries.
Afridi said the event would examine and take stock of the unfolding effects of climate change in the South Asian region and specifically Pakistan, covering various levels of topics (ie regional, transitional, national, sub-national and local) with clusters on specialised topics related to sustainable development. He said that this interdisciplinary conference would be attended by wide range of stakeholders from all over the world including scholars of international repute, policymakers and scientists, representatives of international organisations, academics, civil society and private sector to deliberate on climate change and development issues.