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Climate Change and Pakistan: Experts Discuss Impact on Non-traditional Security

 

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN: Environmental experts and policymakers termed climate change a severe non-traditional security challenge for Pakistan and stressed the need for urgent and cohesive action in this regard at a conference at the Margala Hotel, Islamabad on 10th November 2021. The conference was organized by the think-tank Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Pakistan on the topic of “Climate Change as a Non-traditional Security Challenge: Relevance for Pakistan”.

Mr. Joudat Ayaz, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan, highlighted Pakistan’s interventions on climate action:

The scaling-up of the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risk reduction in Northern Pakistan helped vulnerable communities to prepare for and mitigate GLOF risks through early warning systems, enhanced infrastructure, and community-based disaster risk management. It is one example of many initiatives undertaken by Pakistan to tackle the issue of climate change.

Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal, Former Federal Secretary of Information and Broadcasting and Vice President (Federal Region), CGSS, in his opening remarks stated:

Consequences of climate change must be realized. We have no idea about its repercussions if remedial measures are not taken on time. The integrated strategies to achieve sustainable climate change targets must be communicated to the local government and community level so that the environmental threat may be catered at the grass-root level.

Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative of HSF Pakistan, discussed the non-traditional security implications of climate change:

The effects of climate change can be seen everywhere in the world, especially in Pakistan. They threaten our living conditions, agriculture, water supply systems, and resource management. […] Fortunately, climate change is solvable, but we need to act now for the future!

The Conference was a follow-up to a Round Table Discussion on the topic organized online in June this year, and aimed to establish a strong narrative based on critically analyzed climate change scenarios in the region and particularly in Pakistan. The discussion sought to highlight the grave implications of climate change on the major pillars of national security of Pakistan and attempted to define applicable solutions and implementable policy guidelines to address challenges of climate change.

More than 100 participants including high-level government officials, academic experts and civil society members, international development professionals and policy makers from relevant fields attended the event. The findings from the conference will be compiled and published in an edited volume by HSF Pakistan and CGSS.

You may find event photos and more speaker quotes at twitter.com/HSF_Pakistan. For more information on CGSS please visit cgss.com.pk, and on HSF Pakistan pakistan.hss.de. Press contact: islamabad(at)hss.de.