ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):A high level delegation of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Pakistan chapter Thursday left for Dhaka (Bangladesh) to participate in the upcoming SAARC seminar on “A Climate Resilient South Asia: Turning Climate Smart Investment Opportunities into Reality” scheduled on July 15.
Talking to media here, leader of delegation SAARC CCI Senior Vice President (SVP) Iftikhar Ali Malik said that Pakistan had been working with SAARC member states to understand how public sector actors are building resilience to climate change in South Asia, said a press release issued here.
He said Pakistan remains committed to playing its role in global efforts for tackling the issue of climate change. He said it had ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2015 and was following the principles therein to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent.
“Climate change has become one of the biggest challenges for mankind today and has united the international community for action against its hazards,” he added.
Pakistan had recently passed the climate law i.e. Pakistan Climate Change Act-2016 and Pakistan was fully aware of its national and international obligations under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He said extreme unhealthy temperatures in South Asia—a region that includes India, Pakistan and Bangladesh—affect around 15% of the region’s population.
“A number of deadly extreme weather events in the region reflect that reality, including a 2015 heat wave that killed more than 2,500 people,” he added.
He said South Asia as a region has witnessed favourable economic growth and was gearing up to capitalise on opportunities provided by urbanization, economic diversification and a young population.
At the same time the region is also home to the world’s largest population of the poor and is extremely vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change.
Iftikhar Malik said SAARC member states should work with their respective private sector to encourage clean green business development for promoting climate action.
“The encouragement of bringing in innovation and building capacity of relevant stakeholders should be the fundamental objectives of every government in South Asia,” he added.