Government will take steps to strengthen Pakistan’s research capacity in climate change said Senator Mushahidullah Khan Minister Climate Change.
He said while addressing the 3-day International Science Policy Conference on Climate Change that we will raise Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC) to international standards to take benefit from the experience of international experts and vice versa.
He further said that ratification of Paris Agreement, passing of The Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017, adoption of international sustainable development agenda as the national agenda and passing of National Forest Policy by the Council of Common Interests are few of the present government initiatives towards climate-friendly development.
Mushahidullah also highlighted Green Pakistan Programme to preserve forestry and wildlife in Pakistan, he further said that Astola Island had been declared as a Marine Protected Area is another initiative to save the biodiversity.
He said that a proposal for the capacity building of Global Change Impact Centre had been approved. The total budget of the proposal was Rs 791 million, out of which Rs 60 million had already been released, he added.
He informed that 140 were selected for presentation from a total of 300 research papers received for the conference.
The climate change minister said That these will provide valuable input for other researchers as well as government officials, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, faculty members, and students.
Other actions besides the conference are starting training workshops and guidance for future research. Long-term partnership with the center of some of the participant is under consideration.
He also informed that to start research and educational programmes on climate change the ministry had started discussions with universities, through Higher Education Commission, and provinces.