Journalists Urged To Sensitize Masses About Threats Posed By Climate Change

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31th August, 2016) : The journalist community is urged to play its effective role in sensitizing masses about threats posed by Climate Change and other issues of environmental degradations. "After the COP21 conference in Paris, Climate Change is considered as the biggest threat to the living beings on earth and journalist community should realize its role in creating awareness about the issue for sensitizing masses about the dangers posed by it," said Aamir Amjad, Senior Programme Officer Friedrich Nauman Foundation for Freedom (FNF). Speaking at a day long capacity building workshop titled as `Challenges of Climate Change-Implications for Pakistan and Role of Media', Aamir Amjad said FNF wants to orient newsmen about implications of climate change and what role they can play ii tackling this challenge and saving the masses from huge losses caused by climate change and natural disasters caused by it in shape of floods, land slides.

The workshop was attended by renowned environmentalists, agriculturists, social activists and media men. This is now a general consensus that climate change is the most pressing and potent challenge faced by humanity at large, adds Aamir Amjad.

At the core of this challenge the focus should be as how we transform our lifestyle to mitigate the losses inflicted by environmental degradation. The most important thing in fight against environmental degradation and climate change is the need to inform and empower people on how this phenomenon impacts our planet and its resources, what are the consequences and most importantly ways of effectively combating this challenge, he went on to say. Prominent environmentalist and former Chairman Department of Environmental Sciences Peshawar University, Professor Dr.

Shafiq-ur-Rehman urged media men to convince politicians for incorporating environmental improvement in agenda of their party manifesto. "We cannot fight and redress the problem of environmental degradation unless the political parities make it part of their party agenda," he reiterated.

Dr. Shafiq apprised the participants of the workshop about affects of climate change on weather in shape of increasing temperature on annual basis. He said the last two decades were the hottest in 400 years history of the earth. This constant increase in weather pattern is causing global warming which is resulting in climate change, natural disasters, erratic weather etc, Professor Shafiq continued.

Dr. Inamullah, Associate Professor, Agriculture University Peshawar, in his presentation, informed participants of the workshop about affects on climate change on agriculture sector of Pakistan.

He said changing weather pattern are reducing agriculture production and quality of the crops in the country. The centuries old farming procedures are changing and inflicting losses on farming community due to loss of crops of less production.

Dr. Inam also called for mass awareness about affects of climate change and mitigation measures for saving the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people associated with farming sector. Zubair Torwali, a researcher and social activist, informed newsmen about skills for improving news reports to make them more effective in conveying message about losses caused by hazardous waste.

Later, group discussion was also held wherein journalists discussed issues pertaining to release of technical information and humanitarian losses due to climate change and its impact on society.