KARACHI, PAKISTAN: Experts from various fields stressed the need of inclusive and coordinated climate action at all policy levels at an interdisciplinary conference in Karachi on 08-09th October 2021. The hybrid conference on the topic of “Climate Change: Threats, Risks and Vulnerabilities” was organized by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the Institute of Business and Administration Karachi (IBA) and supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Pakistan.
Dr. S Akbar Zaidi, the Executive Director of IBA, welcomed the initiative:
This conference on climate change, organized by the students of the Social Sciences and Liberal Arts Department at the IBA, is essential because young people will be highly affected by the climate crisis. […] Addressing the impacts of climate change and the needs of a sustainable future is complex and requires innovative solutions. I am pleased that students took this initiative and are leading this meaningful dialogue on this crucial topic.
Dr. Asma Hyder, the Dean of the School of Economics and Social Sciences at IBA, said:
Climate change is the biggest threat and challenge for sustainable development. [...] This youth-led conference provided a platform to understand and create awareness for this complex crisis.
Dr. Laila Farooq, the Director of CBER, remarked:
We are grateful to HSF for recognizing climate change as a non-traditional security threat. As this conference shows, climate change is not isolated from issues around gender, class, race and so much more.
Dr. Steffen Kudella, the Resident Representative of HSF Pakistan, added:
If the world continues as in the past, the consequences of climate change will strongly influence our standards of living, food and water supply and resource availability along with many other non-traditional security challenges. We are glad to support this event to promote comprehensive, inclusive and creative responses to climate change!
Consul and Deputy Head of Mission at the German Consulate General Karachi, Ms. Brigit Kuhlmann, also graced the conference with her presence. She appreciated the organizers and stressed the need to have more such activities to raise awareness about the protection of the natural environment.
The two-day event brought together academics, artists, filmmakers and students from diverse fields to discuss multifaceted aspects of climate change including multispecies collaborative survival, urban planning and sustainable entrepreneurship. It featured panel discussions, documentary screenings, exhibits and study circles.
HSF Pakistan supports academic activities and democratic civil society initiatives such as this students-led conference to develop creative, well-balanced and research-based solutions to climate change as a non-traditional security challenge. The findings from this conference will be published and communicated to all relevant stakeholders for wider dissemination.
You may find event photos and more speaker quotes at twitter.com/HSF_Pakistan. For more information on IBA please visit cber.iba.edu.pk, and on HSF Pakistan pakistan.hss.de. Press contact: islamabad(at)hss.de.
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