Focus Human-itarian Assistance (FOCUS) Pakistan, an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network, organised a seminar in Karachi on Thursday on 'Climate change and its impact'. In the seminar academics and practitioners shared their views and learning about the trend of temperature rise and its impact on the climate of Pakistan, specially the coastal areas.
The focal point of the seminar was a deliberation on the opportunities and challenges posed by climate change and the important role the government can play to minimise the impact of those calamities at national, regional and local levels, says a statement issued here.
Ideas were also discussed about the measures that need to be taken to ensure optimum safety and preparedness for lives and properties of the people living in both the coastal and urban areas. Expert speakers at the seminar were Munir Sheikh, Head of Climatology Section at the Global Change Impact Study Centre, and Dr Khalid Mahmood Malik, Director of National Agro met Center at Pakistan Meteorological Department.
The speakers highlighted different national, regional and international trends vis-à-vis the phenomena of climate change. They maintained that governments and societies across the globe were taking concrete steps to mitigate the potential destructiveness of temperature rise, which was likely to cause an increase in the sea level during the next several decades, glacier melting and change in monsoon trends.
The speakers emphasised on taking strategic steps and measures to protect the over 700 kilometres strong coastal settlements of Pakistan, which includes the city of Karachi and Gwadar, besides several other settlements. The seminar also discussed various strategies for coastal and urban areas in detail with major emphasis on integration of adaptation strategies into programmes aimed at Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Speaking earlier, Chairperson of FOCUS Pakistan, Khadija Jamal Shaban, briefed the participants about FOCUS and its DRR programme undertaken in Pakistan including Sindh and Punjab.