ISLAMABAD: On the occasion of the European Climate Diplomacy Day, the embassies of France and Germany hosted a photography exhibition and film screening by Yann Arthus-Bertand at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).
Held six months ahead of the 2015 UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21), the event was a timely reminder of the need to work towards a comprehensive and binding climate agreement. The EU envoy, Stefano Gatto said: “The European Union’s commitment to tackling climate change has placed the EU at the forefront of international negotiations as we push for legally binding agreements. At the time of the Kyoto Protocol the EU was the only large emitter which committed to the Protocol and as a result we have reduced emissions by approximately 20 per cent. All other large emitters have increased emissions in the same period.”
He added that while it is true that the developed world has caused climate change, an increase in temperature is and will continue to impact the developing world disproportionately.
French ambassador Martine Dorance said: “Climate change knows no borders and there is a shared responsibility and need for a shared commitment to redress the damage.”
German ambassador Cyrill Nunn said: “Pakistan is among the countries in the world, most vulnerable to climate change. This is a beautiful country but this beauty is at risk. Pakistan needs to be involved in the international negotiations because development and climate change are increasingly linked and climate change puts development goals at risk.”
In the ‘60 Solutions’ photography exhibition, Yann Arthus-Bertrand has captured the beauty of the Earth and possible means to mitigate the human impact on the planet, linking ecology and humanism.
His film, ‘Home’, is a masterpiece of cinematography with a profoundly simple message - the human race is rapidly exhausting the resources of the Earth. The film has largely been shot from the air to make the damage more obvious.
While global warming is problematic, the response is a flurry of solutions and opportunities ranging from mass transport to energy efficient buildings, from recycling to sustainable use of finite resources and in some cases a move away from finite resources and conservation.
Anne Paugam, CEO of the Agence Francaise de Developpement, states in the ‘60 Solutions’ book, “Climate disruption looms as the most important challenge of the twenty-first century, one we must work urgently to counter. International negotiations, currently underway, should result in a binding agreement to this end, ready for adoption at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015. But finding out how we will tangibly combat climate change remains an equally important priority.”
She adds, “The 60 initiatives presented in this book, superbly illustrated by the photographs of Yann Arthus-Bertrand, are far from being isolated cases. By describing and displaying them, we seek to build momentum in the fight against climate disruption - and to share our conviction that solutions exist, and they are far from being out of reach.”
Changing energy sources in the developed and the developing world was a recurring theme and Laurence Breton-Moyet, Head of the Sustainable Development Department, AFD, stated, “In developing and emerging countries, especially African ones, the energy transition must include two additional dimensions: improved access to electricity, to increase very low rates of electrification in several countries, and improved biomass energy production systems, a primary energy source for many.”
A fantastic story of life on the Earth, the film is a backdrop against which the photographs gain context - the human impact on the planet has been profound and in many ways damaging.
Published in Dawn, June 18th, 2015
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