KARACHI, Oct 20: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Strategic Programmes Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad has called for paying attention towards climatology - the science of climate.

He was speaking as chief guest at the annual awards distribution ceremony at the Usman Institute of Technology here on Monday.

The adviser pointed out that neither there was any climatologist in the country, nor attention was being paid to this discipline in any of the universities or research organizations.

“No serious effort has been made in Pakistan on climatic change,” he said and added that in May last year a centre had been set up in the country which will study the phenomenon of global change and its impact on various sectors in Pakistan.

Dr. Ishfaq was of the view that climate change was not just an environment issue, it was also a development issue. Climate change would result in damage to crops, heat stress on humans and livestock, loss of certain crops, as well as production in others, increased extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, increase in pests and diseases, loss of biodiversity, huge impact on water resources.

He emphasised the need for more efficient use of fossil fuels besides the increased use of renewable energy sources, such as hydropower, wind, biomass, geothermal and solar.

He also emphasised the need for use of hydrogen as a fuel.

Dr. Ishfaq was of the view that there can be no real development unless the issue pertaining to rapid population growth was addressed.

UIT chairman Prof. Dr. Manzoor Ahmed presented the welcome address while Prof. Dr. Mohammad Salim Khan, Director of UIT, presented the vote of thanks.—APP