By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Institute of Rural Management (IRM) in collaboration with Secours Islamique France (SIF) and the School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR), Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad organized the first ever Post COP 28 Consultative session, here the other day.
The purpose of the session themed ‘Loss and Damage Fund: A way forward for Pakistan’ was to raise the awareness and informing about decisions made at COP 28 and the stakeholder’s representation and role in securing compensation for recovery from the deleterious effects of climate change in Pakistan.
IRM, SIF, SPIR hold post-COP-28 consultative session at QAU Notable panelists include Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IRM, Chairperson of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Pakistan National Committee (IUCN-PNC) Dr Roomi S. Hayat, Head of Mission in Secours Islamique France (SIF) Dr Altaf Abro, Director and Professor of School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) in Quaid-e-Azam University Dr Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Ambassador and Chairperson of Board of Governors of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Shafqat Kakakhel, Head of Climate Change and National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) Fawad Hayat, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Resilient Future International (RFI) Aftab Alam, Professor in Islamic International University Dr Noor Fatima (IIUI) and a young delegate from COP 28 Jiya Jaggi.
They gave thought-provoking discussion and deliberation on insights from COP-28 and apprised the audience.
Dr Altaf Abro said that he recently visited Dubai for attending Cop-28 conference, where everyone was talking about phasing-out fossil fuels as It was the possible solution to deal with global warming.
Jaya Jaggi said, “It is high time to investigate deep down root causes of global warming.” She seconded Dr Altaf Abro’s comment on the subject. “Phasing out fossil fuel is a gateway to deal with the climate crisis. We need to shift on clean and Eco-Friendly Renewable energy resources like solar and wind. By next year, we will also ensure maximum participation of youth in Cop-29,” she added. Dr Roomi S Hayat said, “Pakistan is on the 5th Number, the country which is adversely affected by climate change. Despite of the fact that it’s contribution in climate change is almost near to nothing. ” IRM, SIF, SPIR hold post-COP-28 consultative session at QAU He informed, “The year 2023 is declared as the hottest year. In the next ten years, the country will not be livable for human and other species. We need to arrange high amount of loss and damage fund to deal with the situation as soon as possible to repair the heavy damage as we are gradually moving toward self destruction.” Shafqat Kakakhel gave two solutions to address the environmental issues and said, “One is phasing out fossil fuel and the other is switching to clean renewable resources as Pakistan is rich in these resources.” He further told that phasing out fossil fuel dominated the entire Cop-28 discussion. People from diversified fields including the government officials, professionals, students and relevant community members attended the session. It is pertinent to mention here that the Institute of Rural Management (IRM) remains committed to promoting advocacy and playing its role in mitigating the climate change and environmental well-being, facilitating cooperation in this crucial area.