PESHAWAR: Speakers at a seminar on climate change on Friday stressed that the government should devise an action plan to tackle the growing environmental degradation.

The function ‘raise your voice, not the sea level’ was held in connection with the World Environmental Day, jointly organised by the Refugees Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) and the provincial environment department, at the Pakistan Forest Institute, University of Peshawar here.

Officials of the environment department, Environment Protection Agency (EPA), RAHA, community leaders, students of private and public sector schools and teachers from different areas of Peshawar were in attendance.

On the occasion, Pakistan Forest Institute’s director general Hakeem Shah said that the county needed to evolve an action plan to tackle climate change and prevent the environmental degradation.

He attributed the prevailing polluted environment to the growing deforestation, saying that it was the main hurdle to overcome the climatic issues.RAHA‘s district manager Ilyas Khan said that the initiative had been undertaken with the support of the line departments and agencies to take collective steps for protection of environment, especially in refugees affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The programme is also aimed at making interventions in social and development sectors in the targeted union councils,” said Mr Khan.

EPA deputy director Dr Amjad said that the county was facing numerous challenges due to increasing environmental degradation and climate change.

“Laws regarding protection of environment do exist, but their implementation is not possible without the cooperation of masses,” he underscored.

He said that clean environment was basic need of every human being and it was also duty of every citizen to play role for keeping their surroundings clean.

On the occasion, students delivered speeches highlighting the significance of the World Environment Day, and called for proactive steps for coping with the increasing global warming, which had also adversely affected Pakistan.

At the end, EPA’s Dr Amjad distributed gifts and trophies among position holders of the speech contest.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2014