Staff Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistans government has increased the funding of a state institution that researches the impacts of climate change, and granted it autonomy, in an effort to enhance the quality of its recommendations on climate resilience for government policy and programmes.
“The Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC) will focus on research aimed at helping sectors such as water, agriculture, forestry and health become more resilient to climate change. The centre will collaborate with countries in South Asia, the Asia Pacific region and other developed nations to exchange scientific know-how, research and technology,” said Syed Ali Gardezi, Secretary Federal Ministry of Climate Change.
“The centre is likely to receive an increase of 20 to 30 per cent in its budget, which is currently Rs 55 million,” said Arshad M. Khan, GCISCs Executive Director.
According to him, lack of research into the causes of climate change and its impacts on an array of socio-economic sectors had been a major roadblock to planning or carrying out projects to curb climate-changing emissions and adapt to changes brought by climate change.
GCISCs work includes “theoretical and applied research, (and) simulation modelling techniques to analyse the vagaries of climate change so that viable mitigation and adaptation plans are chalked out and their successful implementation ensured,” Khan said.