Ram Kishan,
Regional Emergency Manager-South Asia, Christian Aid, has said that
climate change increased migration as a result of which there was
displacement of agricultural producers having implications for national
food security.
Mr Kishan was speaking at ‘India-Pakistan
Dialogue on Climate Change and Energy’ organised here by the Sustainable
Development Policy Institute and Heinrich Boll Stiftung.
Mr
Kishan said that an international mechanism was needed to address loss
and damage of this displacement and slow onset impacts on agriculture.
Pervaiz
Amir, Senior Economist, ASIANICS, said that both countries are lacking
institutional structures with poor ministerial links. However, civil
society organisations, government institutions and policy makers should
act decisively on the climate crisis.
Dr Abid Qaiyum
Suleri, SDPI chief, said that Pakistan had cultural taboos where women
were more inclined towards malnutrition. He said that this
Inter-generational inequity is causing damage to human development.
Sanjay
Vashist, Advisor Climate & Resource Programme of Heinrich Boll
Foundation, India, pointed out that climate change threat can be
converted into opportunity through effective bilateral talks and
coordination between the two countries. He said that we need to move
ahead leaving behind minor differences to benefit of billions of people
in South Asia.
Harjeet Singh from ActionAid-India said
that placing loss and damage under adaptation might limit the scope of
the mechanism to climate risk management, such as early warning systems
in disaster risk reduction which is really going to help when your
country faces destruction. He shared the example of Philippines which
prepared to deal with 20 cyclones a year.
In the long run,
sea-level rise will be one of the most serious consequences of global
warming. With successful, strong mitigation measures, the experts expect
a likely rise of 40-60 cm in this century and 60-100 cm by the year
2300, he observed.
Dr Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhary, Senior
Advisor, LEAD Pakistan, said that Pakistan is among the few developing
countries which has prepared a comprehensive national policy on a
subject which is on top of the global priority agenda. He suggested
policy measures of water conservation, reduction in irrigation losses,
rain water harvesting, recycling of waste water, energy efficient farm
mechanisation and bio-technology for agriculture.
