Use Of Safe Energy Sources, Massive Plantation Vital To Combat Climate Change, Global Warming

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Dec, 2018 ) :Former Ambassador of Pakistan, Manzoorul Haq Sunday said that climate change has posed serious threats to humans in developing countries like Pakistan and stressed the need for carrying out massive plantation of trees and use of safe energy sources to counter this daunting challenge and make the planet worth living for generations to come.

The excessive use of unsolvable plastic bags and its burning causes environmental and water pollutions that needed to be tackled on priority basis besides joint efforts were required to reduce emission of warm gases imperative to mitigate growing effects of climate change and global warming, he maintained.

Talking to APP, Manzoor said climate change has emerged as a serious threat to humans mostly in developing countries like Pakistan as it causes negative effects on economy, infrastructure, agriculture, environment and ecological health.

"We need a robust mechanism and an inclusive approach both at public and Govt level to increase forests cover up to 25pc of total area of Pakistan, cogent measures for reducing emission of warm gases and discourage use of unsolvable plastic bags vital to counter this grave issue," he said.

The climate change and global warming, he said, are making negative effects on wildlife and biodiversity besides leading to draught and flooding due to fluctuations in rainfalls besides adversely affecting growth of agriculture, plants, livestock and human lives.

He said the first and second world wars had brought massive devastations to humans lives and feared that destructions of climate challenge would be much bigger than these wars in terms of people, livestock , infrastructure, agriculture, economy and environmental ecology if this issue was not taken seriously and addressed on war footing basis.

He said more than 15 million people perished in World War-I and around 50 million in World War-II whereas about 30 million became victims of starvation, hunger, diseases and destructions after these wars.

The veteran diplomat said around 2,15,000 people were killed in nuclear bomb attack on Janpan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki and resultantly, residents of these affected cities later became victims of different fatal diseases caused by dangerous effects of radiations for years.

Following these massive devastations, he said, sensitization had started prevailed among countries by forming a 'League of Nations' aimed to make solid efforts to prevent wars in future, however, this endeavour remained unsuccessful.

After Second World War, United Nations came into existence, which remained successful for some extent but war hysteria from heads of humans can't goes out and even today world's different regions were confronted by wars, Manzoorul Haq who had served as Pakistani ambassador at Saudi Arabia and Egypt said.

"The major objective of UN was not only to prevent wars but also eradication of hunger, poverty, diseases, tackling of environmental & climate change's challenges and working for social-economic and welfare of people to make world's worth living," he said.

"Today climate change has posed serious threats to less developed and developing countries like Pakistan and great responsibilities rest on UN to help these countries in tackling this serious issue imperative for survival of millions of people," he said.

The climate change occurs with an increase in emission of warm gases including greenhouse gas led to enhancement of quantity of carbon dioxide in earth, which is adversely affecting radiation process in atmosphere.

Manzoor said most of greenhouse gas are emitted in developed countries whereas its share in developing countries are comparatively less, however the latter is mostly affected of it due to lack of resources to counter climate change's effects.

"The developed countries would face worst consequences if poor countries were not supported in fight against controlling effects of greenhouse gas and climate change," he said.

He said temperature has increased to alarming level during last years of previous century and this grave situation has forced world to ink Paris Agreement where nations had agreed not to allow increase of average temperature of planet by 2 degree centigrade.

The rise of temperature would lead to melting of glaciers at rapid pace causing flooding and water's wastage besides rising of surface of sea-level that would drown coastal areas and Islands, Manzoor said.

He said mass migration of people from warm areas to hilly, cities areas would be expedited with an increase of temperature that would put an extra pressure on existing infrastructure including health, roads and education there.

Ambassador Manzoor said time has come to formulate a multifaceted approach by involving all stakeholders to counter issue of climate change and make our planet worth living for upcoming people.