ISLAMABAD: The Senate Committee on Climate Change on Wednesday approved draft Pakistan Climate Change Act 1997, which will not only help meet obligations under international conventions but will also address the impacts of global warming.

The Senate Committee was called on the request of Minister for Climate Change, Zahid Hamid, who described threat from climate change bigger than terrorism.

“We might be able to deal with terrorism in Pakistan but climate change will present us with a bigger problem in the coming years. The bill is the single most important initiative of the government and needs to be passed at the earliest,” said Zahid Hamid.

The senate committee did not go into the nitty-gritty of the draft bill but only questioned the functions of the climate change authority that will be formed once the bill is passed by the Senate.

Minister describes threat from climate change bigger than terrorism

The minister for climate change told the members that the authority was being formed to formulate comprehensive policies and projects aimed at addressing the effects of the climate change and meeting Pakistan’s obligations under international conventions and agreements.

“The projects will identify threats from climate change. Pakistan will have a strong case to seek assistance from the $100 billion climate fund that will be available by 2020. The fund has been created specifically to address threats particularly to developing countries from global warming,” said Zahid Hamid.

The minister told the meeting that Pakistan was the seventh most vulnerable country to impacts from the altering global climate.

“Pakistan ranks as 135th, the country with the least carbon emissions in the world,” said Zahid Hamid.

He told the meeting that Pakistan’s carbon emissions were going to increase from 405 tons a year to 1, 603 tons by the year 2015, given the projected growth trajectory.

The minister briefed that Pakistan had started suffering from vagaries of climate change such as floods, droughts, desertification, and glacial melt in the north and sea water intrusion in the south.

Extreme climate events have resulted in tragic loss of lives and colossal damage to the economy.

Zahid Hamid said: “These irregular phenomena have impeded our efforts to promote sustainable growth and development and to ensure economic prosperity. It is, therefore, necessary to establish an independent Pakistan climate change authority, which will, under the guidance of a high-powered con climate change, headed by the prime minister, provide framework for mitigating and adapting to the effects of global warming on various sectors of the economy.”

Zahid Hamid claimed that by passing the bill, Pakistan will join only a handful of countries who have demonstrated their commitment to combating the adverse effects of climate change by enacting laws specifically for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2017