ISLAMABAD: Many glacial lakes have cropped up in the Himalayan region with many of them being dangerous and volatile.

This was stated by the experts highlighted that the glaciers were shrinking the world over as a result more lakes are emerging the mountainous regions.

“Change in climate can be observed through the warming of hot days and heat waves, and intensity of the precipitation,” Prof Jean-Pascal, the vice-chairman of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said while delivering a special lecture on ‘Challenges and Opportunities of Climate Change’. The lecture was jointly organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute and the Belgian Embassy.

“A small amount of warming is observed, however, its impacts are immense, which shows that if warming increases, the impact will be more severe.’

He said that climate change affects livelihood, water resources, food security besides causing poverty, migration and coastal flooding.

He even showed a photo of a giant glacier in 1961, and by 2003 the same place was turned into a huge lake.

Prof. van Ypersele said that while climate change was coming but there are many opportunities through adaptation and the impact of climate change can be limited.

“Together with lifestyle and behaviour changes, known technologies and policies, including more efficient use of energy and greater use of low carbon can reduce GHG emissions at reasonable costs,” he added.

He said changed lifestyle can result in benefiting human health.

“Humanity has to make two choices - create different outcomes with substantial mitigation and adaptation measures,” he added.

Meanwhile Malik Amin Aslam Khan, Global Vice President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said Pakistan is contributing only 0.5 percent of global GHGs.

“We are one of the most vulnerable countries being affected by climate change,” he said.

He discussed in detail the country’s geography and topography. He said glacier melting zone are affecting the country both in terms of more and less water. Anything that happens in the north affects the south.

“Besides last week’s rainy spell was unprecedented but it had a negative impact on the standing wheat crops,” he said and stressed the need for a national adaptation action plan to overcome the emerging situation.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2015

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