Humanity at the climate crossroads

Muhammad Usman PAS | Current Affairs | CSS

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 “
The dramatic impacts of climate change have
exposed with devastating clarity, how integral a
healthy environment is to the enjoyment of all our
other rights.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General

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Pakistan is among the 10 countries most harmed by disasters related to climate change in
the past two decades despite contributing less than 1 percent of the world’s planet-
warming gases.
(Global ClimateCurrent Affairspublished
Risk Index, With Sir Usman PASBerlin-based nonprofit Germanwatch
by the
 It’s not climate change, it’s everything change

WHAT IS CLIMATE
CHANGE?
Climate is the average weather in a place over
many years. Climate change is a shift in those
average conditions

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Current global temperatures setting record highs

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Ocean surface temperatures are at record highs

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Selected significant climate anomalies and events: June 2023

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June 2023 set a record as the warmest June for the globe in NOAA's (National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) 174-year record. First time a June
temperature exceeded 1°C above the long-term average. The Junes of 2015–2023
rank among the ten warmest Junes on record.
The January–June global surface temperature ranked third warmest in the 174-year
record.

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The evidence

The rate of change since

the mid-20th century is
unprecedented over
millennia.

While Earth’s climate has

changed throughout its
history, the current
warming is happening at
a rate not seen in the
past 10,000 years.

"Scientific evidence for warming of the climate

system is unequivocal."
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
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Unstoppable Forces

Overwhelming Evidence for Rapid

Climate Change!
Global Temperature Is Rising
• The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2
degrees Fahrenheit (1 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century,
a change driven largely by increased carbon dioxide emissions into
the atmosphere and other human activities.
• Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the seven
most recent years being the warmest. The years 2016 and 2020 are
tied for the warmest year on record.

The Ocean Is Getting Warmer

• The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top
100 meters (about 328 feet) of ocean showing warming of 0.67
degrees Fahrenheit (0.33 degrees Celsius) since 1969.
• Earth stores 90% of the extra energy in the ocean.
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The Ice Sheets Are Shrinking
• The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass.
Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show
Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year
between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons
of ice per year.

Glaciers Are Retreating

• Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world —
including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.

Ocean Acidification Is Increasing

• Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of
surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is
due to humans emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
and hence more being absorbed into the ocean.
• The ocean has absorbed between 20% and 30% of total
anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades (7.2 to
10.8 billion metric tons per year).

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Extreme Events Are Increasing in Frequency
• The number of record high temperature events in the United States
has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature
events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed
increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.

Sea Level Is Rising

• Global sea level rose about 8 inches (20 centimeters) in the last
century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double
that of the last century and accelerating slightly every year.

Snow Cover Is Decreasing

• Satellite observations reveal that the amount of spring snow cover in
the Northern Hemisphere has decreased over the past five decades
and the snow is melting earlier.

Arctic Sea Ice Is Declining

• Both the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice has declined rapidly
over the last several decades.

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CO2 Emissions by Countries: 180 Mt Global Average

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HOW WILL
CLIMATE CHANGE
AFFECT
THE WORLD?

Highway to Current
hell or a With
Affairs livable future
Sir Usman PAS
Sounding the alarm
World on track to breach a critical warming
threshold in the next five years

 Between 2023 and 2027, there is now a 66% chance that the planet’s
temperature will climb above 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-
industrial levels for at least one year (Annual climate update, World
Meteorological Organization WMO).

 As temperatures surge, there is also a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next
five years – and the five-year period as a whole – will be the warmest on record
for the planet, the WMO reported.

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 The current hottest year on record is 2016, which followed a very strong El Niño
event. El Niño tends to ramp up the temperatures the year after it develops,
which could put 2024 on track to be the hottest year on record.

Why does 1.5 degrees matter?

 Warming above 1.5 degrees point increases the risk of triggering major tipping
points, including the death of coral reefs and the melting of polar ice sheets,
which will add to sea level rise, devastating coastal communities.

 Limiting warming to 1.5 degrees could reduce the number of people exposed to
extreme heatwaves by around 420 million, NASA.

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Major Take aways from IPCC Sixth Assessment Report
(AR6)

Figure: Projected changes of annual maximum daily temperature change (°C)

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The impacts of climate change will be widespread and are already
being felt

Figure : Projected risks and impacts of climate change on natural and human systems at different
global warming levels (GWLs) relativeCurrent Affairs Withlevels.
to 1850-1900 Sir Usman PAS
 Time for Urgent Action: Limiting Global Warming Starts Now

Figure: Global action on climate change Current

is not nearly enough
Affairs With to limit
Sir Usman PAS temperature rises. Image: IPCC.
The World's Climate Divide
Divergent Destinies Await as Temperatures Rise Beyond
1.5°C

 The UK and Europe will be vulnerable to flooding caused by extreme rainfall

 Countries in the Middle East will experience extreme heatwaves and
widespread drought
 Island nations in the Pacific region could disappear under rising seas
 Many African nations are likely to suffer droughts and food shortages
 Drought conditions are likely in the western US, while other areas will see more
intense storms
 Australia is likely to suffer extremes of heat and increases in deaths from wildfires

IPCC report provides the main scientific input to COP28 and the Global Stocktake
at the end of this year, when countries will review progress towards the Paris
Agreement goals.

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IMPACTS…

The impacts of climate change on different sectors of society are

interrelated. Drought can harm food production and human
health. Flooding can lead to disease spread and damages to
ecosystems and infrastructure. Human health issues can increase
mortality, impact food availability, and limit worker productivity.
Climate change impacts are seen throughout every aspect of
the world we live in.

Impacts are driven by changes in multiple physical climate conditions,

which are increasingly attributed to human influence
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Major impacts of climate change

 Water
 Flooding is an increasing issue as our climate is changing. There are both
stronger and more frequent abnormally heavy precipitation
events across most of the United States.

 Food
 Our food supply depends on climate and weather conditions farming
crops is more unpredictable—and livestock, which are sensitive to
extreme weather, become harder to raise
 Reduced soil health
 Food shortages

 Human health
 Climate change is already impacting human health.
 Heat is one of the most deadly weather phenomena.
 As ocean temperatures rise, hurricanes are getting stronger and
wetter, which can cause direct and indirect deaths.
 Dry conditions lead to more wildfires, which bring many health risks

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 The environment
 The Arctic is one of the ecosystems most vulnerable to the effects of
climate change, as it is warming at least twice the rate of the global
average and melting land ice sheets and glaciers
contribute dramatically offsite link to sea level rise around the globe.
 Warmer temperatures increase the frequency, intensity, and duration of
heat waves,2 which can pose health risks, particularly for young
children and the elderly.
 Climate change can also impact human health by worsening air and
water quality, increasing the spread of certain diseases, and altering the
frequency or intensity of extreme weather events
 Rising sea level threatens coastal communities and ecosystems

 Infrastructure
 Physical infrastructure includes bridges, roads, ports, electrical grids,
broadband internet, and other parts of our transportation and
communication systems.
 It is often designed to be in use for years or decades, and many
communities have infrastructure that was designed without future
climate in mind. But even newer infrastructures can be vulnerable to
climate change.

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Climate Change, the
Great Displacer

If the trajectory of high greenhouse

gas emissions and unequal
development continues
unchallenged, an average of 170
million people across six regions will
be subjected to internal migration
by 2050.

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 ‘Closer to the brink’

“Every year of insufficient action to keep global

warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius drives us closer
to the brink, increasing systemic risks and reducing
our resilience against climate catastrophe”.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres

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 A critical moment in global transformative climate action
What is COP?
In the three decades since the Rio Summit and the launch of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention (COP) has convened member countries every
year to determine ambition and responsibilities, and identify
and assess climate measures. The 21st session of the COP
(COP21) led to the Paris Agreement, which mobilized global
collective action tto limit the global temperature increase to
1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, and to act to adapt
to the already existing effects of climate change.

 First time was adopted in 1992 in the earth summit in rio de Janeiro
 196 countries ratified it and came into force 1994
 COP is the supreme decision making body of United Nations framework convention on climate change UNFCCC
 Since 1995 its sessions are conducted each year , renowned kyoto protocol was the part of COP3 and Paris protocol
was the part of COP21
 Each COP elaborates and is built on the resolutions of previous COP
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The Paris World leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference
(COP21) in Paris reached a breakthrough on 12 December
Agreement 2015: the historic Paris Agreement.

The Agreement sets long-term goals to guide all nations:

 substantially reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to

limit the global temperature increase in this century to 2
degrees Celsius while pursuing efforts to limit the increase
even further to 1.5 degrees
 review countries’ commitments every five years
 provide financing to developing countries to mitigate
climate change, strengthen resilience and enhance
abilities to adapt to climate impacts.

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 The Agreement is a legally binding international treaty. It entered into force on
4 November 2016. Today, 194 Parties (193 States plus the European Union) have
joined the Paris Agreement.

 The Agreement includes commitments from all countries to reduce their

emissions and work together to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and
calls on countries to strengthen their commitments over time. The Agreement
provides a pathway for developed nations to assist developing nations in their
climate mitigation and adaptation efforts while creating a framework for the
transparent monitoring and reporting of countries’ climate goals.

 The Paris Agreement provides a durable framework guiding the global effort for
decades to come. It marks the beginning of a shift towards a net-zero emissions
world. Implementation of the Agreement is also essential for the achievement
of the Sustainable Development Goals.

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How does it work?

• The Paris Agreement works on a five- year cycle. Every five years, each country is
expected to submit an updated national climate action plan - known as Nationally
Determined Contribution, NDC.

• In their NDCs, countries communicate actions they will take to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions in order to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Countries also communicate in the NDCs actions they will take to build resilience to
adapt to the impacts of rising temperatures.

• In 2023, the first “global stocktake” will assess progress on Paris Agreement goals. This
process will further encourage countries to take ambitious climate actions that keep
warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

• The Paris Agreement invites countries to formulate and submit long-term strategies.
Unlike NDCs, they are not mandatory.

• The operational details for the practical implementation of the Paris Agreement
were agreed on at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice,
Poland, in December 2018, in what is colloquially called the Paris Rulebook, and
finalized at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021.
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Outcome or resolution of COP-26

 Signing of Glasgow climate pact

 And agreement to the Paris rulebook
 If the pledges made at Glasgow are fully implemented warming
will be kept below 2°c; and with the commitment to further action
over the next decade we have kept 1.5 celsius in reach

Outcome of the COP27: Not a Silver Bullet But A Bullet Indeed

 Agreement to provide “loss and damage” funding for vulnerable

countries hit hard by climate disasters.
 COP27 saw significant progress on adaptation, with governments
agreeing on the way to move forward on the Global Goal on
Adaptation, which will conclude at COP28 and inform the first
Global Stocktake, improving resilience amongst the most vulnerable

 Took place from 6 to 18 November 2022 in Sharm Al Sheikh,Egypt

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 COP28 Plan of Climate Action: Bonn conference

COP28 will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai,

United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The plan covers all the main aspects of climate action, based on the
2015 Paris agreement, now divided into what Al Jaber (president of
COP28) termed the four pillars, or four Fs:
• Fast-tracking the transition to a low-CO2 world
• Fixing climate finance
• Focusing on people, lives and livelihoods
• Full inclusivity

Continued…

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 The 1.5C goal: “This plan is guided by a single north star, and that is
keeping 1.5C within reach,” (Al Jaber, president of COP28)

 National plans: Governments will conduct for the first time a “global
stocktake” that will set out the progress countries have made on the
emissions reduction commitments – NDCs

 The phase down of fossil fuels

 Clean energy: Commitments to double energy efficiency, triple

renewable energy capacity to 11,000GW globally, and double
hydrogen production to 180m tonnes a year by 2030

 Climate finance: Disbursing the Loss and Damage Fund agreed in

COP27
 Inclusivity: Holding Oil Companies, fossil fuel industry and all polluters
accountable

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The Land is Aching
Climate change induced disasters in Pakistan in 2022-23

Pakistan is trapped in a vicious debt spiral, pulled downward by a climate disaster

and an economic crisis colliding with an unjust global financial system.

 Record-breaking heat wave in March-April 2022

 glacial lake outbursts in Gilgit-Baltistan,
 wildfires in forests of Balochistan and KPK in May,
 urban flooding in Karachi in July,
 the early onset of monsoon, and the ensuing flash floods across the country
 executive director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute and a
member of Pakistan’s Climate Change Council, Pakistan has received area-
weighted rainfall 780% above average levels so far this year. As of August 27,
rainfall in the country was 2.9 times the national 30-year average

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 The Government of Pakistan classified 80 districts across Pakistan as “calamity-
stricken” to date.
 At least 50 people, including eight children, have died since June 25, 2023 in
floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains
 Lahore last week received record-breaking rainfall
 Karachi had only just finished breathing a sigh of relief at dodging Cyclone
Biparjoy when it is forced to brace for rain.

The World Health Organization

called the 2022 floods ‘the
perfect storm for malaria,’ with
the nation experiencing its
worst outbreak in the last fifty
years.

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 “
‘An estimated 20.6 million people, including 9.6 million children, need
humanitarian assistance.’ Meanwhile, 1.8 million people were still living
near stagnant floodwaters eight months after the floods. The prolonged
lack of safe drinking water and toilets, along with the continued proximity
of vulnerable families to bodies of stagnant water, are contributing to the
widespread outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera,
diarrhoea, dengue, and malaria.’

-March 2023 report from UNICEF

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 Impacts of the floods 2022:
Monster Monsoon of the Decade
 flash floods have submerged one-third of
Pakistan
 displacing over 33 million people nationwide,
 National Disaster Management Authority,
between 14th June and 1st September, at
least 1208 people were killed, a third of which
were children, and 6082 people injured, with
numbers increasing as the rain continued.
 Over 2 million acres of crops and orchards
have been impacted, including 304,475
acres in Balochistan, 178,186 acres in Punjab,
and 1.54 million acres in Sindh.
 Damage to approximately 5000 km of
highways

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South Asia and Climate Change Vulnerability

Saleemul Haq, director at the International Centre for Climate Change and
Development, said the region is particularly at risk because of a combination of
geography, population and poverty.

 Some 750 million people in South Asia have been affected by at least one natural
disaster, World Bank.
 Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan killed at least 50 people across the country till
July 2023
 In India, about a dozen districts in the northeastern state of Assam were hit by
deadly flash floods in June, forcing thousands to flee their homes and seek refuge
at makeshift relief camps.
 Results from a study published in 2021 on wheat production up to 2050, found the
most negative effects will be seen in South Asian nations with a yield decline of 16
percent.

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Continued…

 Himalayas, which cover countries such as

Pakistan, Nepal and India, had lost 40
percent of their ice over several hundred
years.
 some 21 percent of people in South Asia
faced severe food insecurity, a 2 percent rise
from 2020. In the same year, the region had
the highest number of undernourished
people in the world – 330 million – the FOA
 In Bangladesh, an estimated 2,000 people
were moving to the capital Dhaka, many
displaced by the effects of extreme weather
from lowland coastal districts such as Barisal
and Satkhira.
 deadly heat-waves in India and Bangladesh
in mid-April were made 30 times more likely
because of climate change, World Weather
Attribution. Current Affairs With Sir Usman PAS
Climate change and Pakistan: Most Vulnerable
Least Prepared
The Victim of Capitalism
 According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is the fifth most vulnerable
country to climate crisis despite its very low carbon footprint
 Pakistan has emitted only 0.4% of carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas,
since 1959, compared to 21.5% by the United States and 16.4% by China.
 the temperatures in the country have risen by 0.3°C per decade – higher than
the global average
 Places like Jacobabad and Dadu even recorded scorching temperatures
above 50°C.
 Warmer air holds more moisture almost 7% more per °C
 La Niña climate event, in “above normal” levels of rain during the country’s
monsoon season, from July to September.

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In Pakistan’s case, it resulted in torrents and flash floods. The extreme heat
also led to glacial melts in the country’s northern mountainous regions
thereby increasing the amount of water cascading into tributaries that
eventually flow into the Indus. The Indus River runs from north to south
through Pakistan, sustaining towns, cities, and enormous expanses of
agricultural land along the way.

Climate experts noted that high flows and muddy water in the Hunza
River, which feeds into the Indus, indicated rapid glacial melting

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Direct macroeconomic impacts of the
2022 floods

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Direct macroeconomic impacts of the 2022 floods mainly on following
sectors:
 AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
 INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
 SERVICE SECTOR

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IMPACTS OF FLOODS ON AGRICULTURAL
SECTOR

 The agriculture sector is projected to contract for the first time

since FY01 due to the floods
 An estimated 9.4 million acres of crops are affected
 significant losses to cotton, date, wheat, and rice crops
 More than a million livestock are also estimated to have been
lost

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 IMPACTS OF FLOODS ON INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

• Damages in the agricultural sector are expected to spillover

onto the industry sector

• Cotton losses are expected to result in shortages, hindering the

domestic textile industry’s production

• Similarly, local food processing and slaughtering industries will

be negatively impacted by the expected reduction in food
harvests and reduced supply of livestock

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The services sector is also forecast to be
adversely affected

• Lower agricultural and industrial activity is likely to weigh on

wholesale and transportation services activities, which
account for 50 percent of service sector output
• , Transportation challenges arising from the loss of critical
connectivity infrastructure such as roads and bridges
• Transportation challenges are expected to disrupt supply
and further dampen overall economic activity

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How Pakistan can  Pak contribution to climate change
opt for climate  Pak’s vulnerability to climate
diplomacy? change?
Pakistan climate change profile  Impacts of climate change on
Pakistan?

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Highlighting the role of Global North in
Climate change:

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Measures Pakistan Should take:

Internally Externally

 Engaging with International

 Climate change action plan
community (recent case in
 Legislations to formulate
COP 27)
climate sensitive policies
 Mobilize international
 Ensuring political unity on
community
matters related to climate
 Climate injustice narrative
change

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 Fact Sheet: Results from U.S.-Pakistan Climate and
Environment Working Group 2023
• Fertilizer Efficiency: The U.S. Department of Agriculture will launch the “Fertilizer
Right” program in Pakistan in 2023, a four-year, $4.5 million project, helping use
fertilizer more efficiently, reducing environmental pollution and lowering costs for
farmers.

• Real-Time Flood Forecasting: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will immediately
begin sharing snowpack assessments with several Pakistan government agencies
to strengthen flood forecasting capacity. Using satellite imagery and algorithms
to estimate snow-covered areas and snowpack water volumes in five major
watersheds in Pakistan: Upper Indus, Kabul, Chenab, Sutlej, and Lower Indus.

• Reducing Carbon Emissions: USAID’s efforts have so far helped Pakistan prevent
55 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions since 2017, reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

• Climate Smart Agriculture: The U.S. Agency for International Development

(USAID) will launch a new, five-year Climate Smart Agriculture program in Pakistan
in 2023. Climate-smart farm management practices, increase the use of digital
technology, and help grow Pakistani agricultural technology firms.
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Climate Finance Accelerator: USAID will launch a Climate Finance Development
Accelerator program in 2023 to mobilize domestic and international finance for
expanding clean energy in Pakistan. It will also catalyze investments for climate
mitigation and adaptation efforts through policy reform, awareness raising, and
enhancing the role of the private sector.

Green Shipping: USAID will facilitate a roundtable in Karachi in 2023 around the
future of “green” shipping in Pakistan, opportunities for Pakistan to strengthen its
future economic competitiveness by preparing for zero-emission shipping operations
at its ports.

Methane Abatement: The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) will help
advance their methane emissions reduction and energy security goals, will also
reducing methane emissions in Pakistan’s dairy sector, identify effective options for
emissions reductions, such as changes in animal feed, reproductive health, and
manure management.

U.S. Expert will help Protecting Natural Areas

Pakistan International Visitor Leader Programs (IVLPs): will focus on promoting

climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices in Pakistan. The other will help
Pakistan strengthen preparedness for natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and
earthquakes.
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Environmentally Conscious Design: The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the installation of solar
panels and external solar lights in the Balochistan Police Training College in
Quetta, eight border check-posts, and two training centers in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network: The Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN) selected

“Climate Change: Protecting Local Communities” as its 2023 country project to
be held across all 14 regional chapters in 2023, to strengthen Pakistan’s climate
resilience. PUAN is the largest U.S. government exchange alumni network in the
world, with 39,000 members.

U.S.-Pakistani University Partnerships: The U.S. Embassy is currently funding $1.5

million over three grants for U.S.-Pakistani educational partnership on climate and
environment, including: (1) University of Oregon and Karakoram International
University for research on climate change in Gilgit-Baltistan; (2) North Carolina
State University with three Pakistani universities to establish a climate change
consortium; and (3) University of Nebraska and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women
University to build the capacity of women faculty to instruct on climate change.

Current U.S. Department of State Notices of Funding Opportunity: (1) Regional

Consortium of Student Societies on Climate Change (involving Pakistan, India,
Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka); (2) Raise Awareness and Inspire Action on
Environmental Protection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; (3) Capacity Building of
Journalists on Environmental Issues.
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PAKISTAN
National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Plan
2023-2030

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 There is ample empirical evidence, which shows that a climate crisis is
plaguing the whole world, and more especially impacting the developing
world in harsh ways that it cannot cope with. Despite a meager
contribution to greenhouse gases, Pakistan is highly vulnerable to the
climate threats including water scarcity, desertification, glacier melting,
extreme weather events and spread of diseases. These threats pose
severe challenges in terms of ecology, agriculture, economic
development and sustainability.

Based on an analysis of damages caused by hydro-meteorological extreme events from 2000 to

2020 (Germanwatch 2021) the country has been identified as one of three countries that have
consistently been hard hit by climate vagaries. During this period (2000 to 2020), 173 climate-
related extreme events caused an economic loss
Current Affairs ofSir
With USD 3.8PAS
Usman billion (World Bank 2021)
The government of Pakistan has taken several steps to support long-term climate-related
adaptation interventions. Key actions taken by the Govt. of Pakistan in recent years are
as follows:

1. Living Indus Programme

2. Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, Phase-I, Up-Scaling of Green Pakistan Programme
(Revised)
3. The Miyawaki Forests
4. REDD+ Indus delta (2019-2030 Delta Blue Carbon Phase I)
5. Restoring Mangrove Forests
6. Eco-System Restoration Initiative (ESRI)
7. Electric Vehicle Policy, 2019
8. Clean Green Pakistan Movement
9. Recharge Pakistan Initiative
10. Alternative and Renewable Energy Development Policy 2019/20
11. Ban on Polythene Bags
12. Scaling-up of GLOF risk reduction in Northern Pakistan costing 37.5 million USD (GCF
Grant 37 million USD);
13. Building a safe and accessible to all zero emissions Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in
Karachi costing 535 million USD (GCF Grant Plus Loan 49 million USD); and,
14. Transforming the Indus Basin with climate-resilient agriculture and water managemen
at 47.7 million USD (Grant 35 million USD).
15. National Hazardous Waste Management Policy, 2022

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Climate change will impact each domain differently.
The four domains are individuals, businesses, communities, organizations
and governments, all facing unique challenges and barriers.

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 ADAPTATION STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN

Some Adaptation Strategies and Actions is as under:

 Develop a GIS database of various sources of water quality and quantity, its usage and
water resources for research, development and monitoring of water resources.

 Revisit the existing cropping pattern to conserve maximum water

 Undertake periodic de-siltation of the canal system

 Facilitate technology transfer to small farmers by giving them incentives through

subsidies etc.

 Anaerobic digestion is the best technology for recycling and waste-to-energy used
 throughout the world that Pakistan can easily replicate

 SAARC, SACEP, or Indus Water Commission forum be used to set up Joint Environment
Management Group for joint watershed management through appropriate
agreement

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Continued…

 Survey and map all agricultural systems in Pakistan and develop a GIS database for
climate vulnerable systems

 Adopt an integrated cropping method to avoid monoculture and to have varieties of

crops particularly in Balochistan

 Minimize livestock impact on vegetation and crops given climate change projected
 stresses.

 Introduce intercropping system (ally cropping) and soil conservation techniques

 Encourage and assist farmers to develop cost-effective livestock feed through “Silage
Making” techniques and by using “Urea Treatment” from maize, rice and wheat low-
quality roughages.

 Identify safe areas for the evacuation of people and livestock in each vulnerable
locality

 Develop efficient rescues mechanism, relief and rehabilitation options and their
implementation strategies before a disaster
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Sir Usman PAS
Continued…

 Update the flood plain maps for 100 years return period.

 Set up remote-sensing and ground-based mechanisms to monitor the development of

Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOF).

 Redesign and upgrade Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) capacity, particularly in southern
Sindh, keeping in view the experience gained during climate change-related short
duration intense rainfall events in Southern Sindh between July 2003 & Aug 2010.

 Built effective infrastructures and means of communication to quickly counter any

epidemic spreading due to climate change-induced natural hazards.

 Design and built emergency vaccines and medication storage facilities near each
 DCO’s office to be used in case of injuries and epidemics due to natural hazard

 WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and family planning service improvements

 Initiate specific projects and programs to promote sustainable use of non-timber forest
produce (NTFP) with greater participation of the local communities with a particular
focus on livelihood improvement.
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Proposed coordination mechanism for NAP
implementation coordination

Current Affairs With Sir Usman PAS

Responsible institutions for implementation of Adaptation
Action Plan for vulnerable sectors

Current Affairs With Sir Usman PAS

 What has been done so far?
Government has taken several measures as part of its fiscal risk
mitigation strategy (Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2023)

1. A comprehensive climate change policy

 In the energy sector, the assessment of the impact of hydropower
projects on the environment and local communities
 futuristic building designs with solar panels
 exploration of clean coal technologies
 the introduction of carbon taxes
 gradual introduction of Green Fiscal Reforms
 incentivization of energy audits
 enactment of energy conservation legislation
2. several projects aimed at strengthening infrastructure resilience
 the NHA has initiated the "Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of
National Highways" project
 ADB is helping Punjab province to improve water resource
management and increase agricultural productivity
 The upgraded Trimmu and Panjnad barrages are now equipped with
modern technology and have expanded capacity to regulate the flow
of water and protect vast farmlands from flooding
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  as part of the CPEC, China’s Lanzhou University has helped set up a
state-of-the-art weather monitoring station at Pakistan’s Peshawar
University

3. Early warning systems, enhance disaster preparedness, and improve

response and recovery
 National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed a
National Disaster Risk Management Framework to guide the
development of disaster risk reduction strategies and policies

4. Scientidic Management
 National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), established in 2016
 construction of a flood protection structure in the district of Shangla, Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, which has reduced the risk of flooding for over 1,600 households.
 NDRMF has also invested in earthquake resilience projects, such as retrofitting of
school buildings and hospitals to make them more earthquake resistant.
 it has supported community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) initiatives in
Pakistan
 aimed at developing a modeling tool for natural disaster risk
assessment around four critical areas: floods, earthquakes, droughts,
and cyclones: National Catastrophe (Nat-Cat) model
 incorporates a range of factors such as geographic information, climatic and
environmental data, and historical disaster records to predict the likelihood and
impact of future natural disasters
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5. community-based approaches to tackle climate change at the grassroots
level
 afforestation project that involves local communities in planting
 Clean Green Pakistan campaign, which is a nationwide initiative to
address environmental challenges
 UNDP Adaptation Fund to provide financial assistance to
communities
 Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) committees in
vulnerable communities

6. International climate finance funds, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
2021 NDC
 As part of 2021 NDC several urban transportation projects in major
cities
 Work on the Green Line BRT (Bus Rapid Transit Red Line) in Karachi is
ongoing with the support of $583.5 million
 public-private-partnership (PPP) structure for the revival of the Karachi
Circular Railway (KCR) to help reduce GHG emissions, for which a
financing structure worth Rs 201 billion is already approved

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