Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif has asked the PML-N Manifesto Committee, to focus on impact and challenges of climate change and water that are critical to Pakistan's future.
"We need to cut down our carbon emissions, reduce deforestation, gradual transition to clean energy and investment in improving water management. Greater emphasis needs to be put onto research into producing heat tolerant and drought resistant crop varieties," he said, adding: "Relief programs must be initiated for vulnerable population segments residing in climate hotspots, especially the poor, women and children."
Shahbaz was of the view that economic growth needs to be carried out in a sustainable manner, respecting the environment and its inhabitants. He added that Pakistan was the 7th most vulnerable country due to ravages of climate change.
Shahbaz pledged that, "If people give us mandate on July 25, battling climate change will be high on the priority list of the PML-N government." Expressing concern over the impact of climate change on food security and water crisis, he said that rising temperatures possess the potential to have devastating effects on nations' economies. Given that Pakistan's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, this could compromise the health and safety of citizens, he opined.
He said the South Asian region is one that is vulnerable to climate change. In 2009, Nepal held a cabinet meeting on Mount Everest to raise awareness of glacial melting in the Himalayas. In the same year, the Maldives held a cabinet meeting under water in order to attract global attention to the dangers of rising sea-levels and global warming. Keeping this in mind, Shahbaz said that the issues of climate change and environment are not confined to any country, but to every country in the region and it is time we start taking collective responsibility to combat this common challenge.
While emphasizing the need for greater collaborative efforts to combat these issues, Shehbaz stated that the momentum from the Paris Climate agreement must be carried forward and countries must utilize their resources to collectively deal with the threats and impacts on the environment that transcends borders.