STAFF REPORT ISB: A parliamentary panel has been informed that climate change posed a greater security threat to Pakistan than terrorism because it could affect temperatures, environment, economy and the future policies of the country.
Climate change experts expressed these views at a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change that was held at the Parliament House.
The committee was informed that climate change could trigger severe disruptions with ever-widening consequences for local, regional and global security.
Droughts, famines and weather-related disasters can claim thousands or even millions of lives and exacerbate existing tensions within and among nations, fomenting diplomatic and trade disputes.
Already, there was growing evidence that climate change was affecting the life-support systems on which humans and other species were dependent. And its impact was arriving faster than many climate scientists predicted.
Briefing the committee, Ministry of Climate Change Secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif said that people should be educated about climate change and it should be made part of the curriculum.
He said that floodwater was a blessing, but it should pass through natural channels. He said that floodwater would add to the fertility of land and China had tried this technique.