DAVOS: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday said that
Pakistan is concerned about the climate situation as it has also been
considered among the top ten most vulnerable countries to climate
change.
He was participating in an interactive Session on
"Adapting to Climate Risk" that focused on how the communities,
companies and countries were adapting to the risks posed by climate
change, here at the annual 2012 World Economic Forum.
He said
despite being among the lowest emitters both on per capita and total
emissions basis, Pakistan was suffering for something nothing of its own
doing.
Prime Minister Gilani to a question about the measures
to assess risks associated with climate change said, the government had
constituted a Task Force on Climate Change to provide appropriate
guidelines for ensuring security of vital resources.
He said on
its recommendations a National Climate Change Policy has been developed
to pursue the sustained economic growth, integrate climate change into
national policies, ensure water, food and energy security and to
strengthen institutions dealing with climate change disasters.
The
Prime Minister said programs for risk sharing and insurance for loss
and damage were also being planned, while the Corporate companies were
being encouraged through tariff and market based incentives to follow
low carbon path by adopting energy efficient technologies.
He
called for a global approach to respond to climate risks in view of
vulnerability and inability of developing nation to cope with the
challenge. "We strongly feel that the world must come together with
renewed vigour.
Prime Minister of Kenya Raila Amolo Odinga was among the other participants.
Developing
countries were vulnerable and unable to cope, at their own, with the
challenge and disasters caused by natural calamities in terms of massive
losses to lives and property, the Prime Minister added.
Gilani
urged the international community to cooperate in transfer of green
technologies, capacity building and to provide financial assistance to
developing countries for adaptation projects.
He mentioned a
study by German Watch that declared Pakistan as the worst hit country by
extreme weather events in 2010 and 8th most vulnerable country based
on data of past 20 years and said Pakistan needs roughly US$ 8-14
billion annually to adapt to climate change, which is a huge burden for
any developing country.
In the session that examined the impact
of extreme weather events resulting in floods and droughts and creation
of a resilient infrastructure, he suggested that an important step in
this regard would be channeling of finance to the Green Climate Fund,
established in Durban last year.
Gilani emphasized to work
together for a sustainable globe and a better future and said climate
change was something real for Pakistan as the country was already
experiencing its impacts.
He said the private sector has to play
a proactive role as a partner and serve as a beneficiary in managing
climate risks. "Over the past decade or so, we have witnessed prolonged
spells of drought and new phenomena of cyclonic activity in our coastal
areas," Gilani said.
He mentioned that Pakistan suffered the
worst ever flash floods in 2010, termed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki
Moon as "a slow moving tsunami" as over one-fifth of the country’s area
was flooded.
Gilani said floods again hit southern Pakistan in
2011 due to incessant rains, as it received five years of rainfall in a
period of four weeks that affected 20 million people and caused damages
worth US$ 15 billion. Online
