STAFF REPORT IBD: Pakistan is losing cumulatively $1 billion per day due to the environmental degradation while the successive governments have never given serious attention to the issue.
This was the crux of the seminar on “Strategic Environmental Assessment – in the context of Framework for Economic Growth – Taking the bull by the horns” organised by the Planning Commission.
In his remarks, Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq, Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, said that the environment has always been a subject of great concern and has deliberately been left out since environment is a crosscutting subject and having a chapter on it will marginalize its importance.
“We cannot ignore one subject and address the other, everything is inter-related and we need to address all the issues very tactfully,” he said.
He stressed the need for involving the youth in all the developmental process so as to make development more sustainable.
Environmental threats damage economy of the state and have negative impact due to displacement of people and they lose their business and become burden on the economy.
“Pakistan faces many environmental challenges which need to be addressed since the economy is dependent on its natural resources,” Marri said.