KARACHI: Chairman of National Business Group Pakistan, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum, Mian Zahid Hussain said on Friday that the planet faces a severe threat from climate change.
He said that inflation and conflicts keep many nations too busy to address this issue, while Western nations responsible for the problem act carelessly.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that the effects of climate change are pushing the world into poverty, while pandemics and diseases have also increased.
He said that the global temperature is constantly rising and serious efforts are needed to solve the problem.
The world is witnessing more floods, storms, famine, hunger, fires, and other problems, and according to the World Bank, climate change can displace 216 million people by 2050.
He said that climate change is affecting the land system and crop patterns, pollution is increasing, and the shortage of natural resources is increasing.
However, many policymakers are still not bothered to think about this important subject.
Mian Zahid Hussain added that a report by the World Economic Forum stated that climate change could result in a loss of $ 12.5 trillion by 2050 and result in 150 million deaths.
The report states that floods could result in 85 million deaths, droughts could claim 3.2 million lives, and heat waves could cost the global economy $ 7 trillion.
He added that Pakistan has lost $ 30 billion as a result of floods in 2022, which were the result of climate change; more than 300 million people have been displaced, and 1839 killed. The international community still needs to fulfill its promises to provide the necessary support to Pakistan after the floods.
According to global organizations, more losses are likely, as many developing nations in Asia and Africa need to prepare to tackle the problem or lack resources. Poor nations need hundreds of billions of dollars to finance projects that will reduce damage caused by climate change. Developed countries are not interested in solving this problem, which has affected the confidence of developing countries and increased the risk for billions of people.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024