ISLAMABAD: Residents of Islamabad on Sunday came together and pedaled 10 kilometres for action on climate change.

The cycling was part of an event jointly organised for the fourth year by the European Union Delegation to Pakistan and World Wildlife Fund, commemorating Climate Diplomacy Day. The event highlighted the adverse impacts of climate change and sought positive actions.

Aiming at encouraging an informed debate on climate change, the event brought together people from diverse backgrounds to become part of exchanges taking place worldwide. The event also encouraged exploration of opportunities and a transition to low carbon economies.

Pakistan annually faces economic losses between $6bn and $14bn solely due to deteriorating climatic conditions, says PM’s adviser

Wearing a white WWF t-shirt, Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam joined the participants on two wheels as the cycling started from Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on a designated route.

It was a symbolic gesture to raise awareness to curtail the growth of greenhouse emissions by promoting eco-friendly modes of transportation.

The event then moved on to a documentary screening ‘Our Planet, Our Business’ which shed light on the role of businesses in building a sustainable future.

The documentary showed that all business activities depended on nature. It showed how planet Earth provided societies with all resources people needed, including clean air and water, food, soil, a benign climate and productive seas. However, the global loss of nature is making the planet less stable and is already costing national economies trillions of dollars every year.

Androulla Kaminara, ambassador-designate of European Union (EU) to Pakistan, said: “The EU continues to reaffirm its steadfast commitment to the Paris Agreement as the essential multilateral framework governing global action to dealing with climate change. While the EU is on track to exceed its 2020 target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is determined to help raise global ambition and lead the way on accelerated climate action on all fronts. The youth climate movement is a sign of the growing awareness in societies that climate change is a reality already that requires action today.”

Senior Director Programmes WWF-Pakistan Rab Nawaz said climate change was a bitter reality that posed a greater threat to the present and future generations.

“Pakistan is at risk of climate related natural hazards as witnessed by widespread rains, super floods, frequent heat waves and temperature rise and incidences of coastal flooding and sea intrusion. Nature-based solutions such as large-scale plantation drives, protection of existing forests and promotion of renewable energy and conservation of water resources should be adopted to address this grave challenge,” Mr Nawaz said.

Addressing the event, Amin Aslam, who was the chief guest, said Pakistan annually faced economic losses between $6 billion and $14 billion solely due to deteriorating climatic conditions.

“Melting of glaciers in the northern regions of Pakistan could disturb the biodiversity of the entire country and adversely influence climate conditions,” he said.

To discuss the impacts of climate change, a speech competition was held on the theme ‘Youth for Climate Action’ amongst students.

A total of 30 youngsters from 10 private and government colleges and universities aged between 14 and 22 years applied for the competition out of which only five were selected. The best young speaker received a cash prize of Rs25,000 and an acknowledgement certificate by the chief guest.

Before the event was over, the participants signed a pledge wall and showed their concerns about the threats of climate change to demonstrate a commitment to fight the challenge of climate change by planting more trees, conserving water, reducing individual carbon footprints and changing lifestyles.

Each year, the European Union around the world celebrates Climate Diplomacy Day with events held to highlight climate action in the EU and beyond.

Conferences, debates, exhibitions, films and social media activities are held to encourage an informed debate and a joint response to the climate challenge. These events build on the momentum of the Paris Agreement - the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal agreed in Paris in Dec 2015.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2019