The ClimAct
CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Welcome! JOIN HANDS WITH SUSTAINABILITY
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Meet Our Team Tayyab Shafique Founder and Executive Director
Syeda Urooj Fatima Senior Editor
Muhammad Abubakar Coordination Manager
Greetings, Welcome to The ClimAct Magazine! It has been long to see that the global climate is changing; and indeed, we are the last generation who has got the chance to revert it back. Otherwise, our future generations will have to suffer badly. Since, the last week of September 2019 had been happening whole around the world as Global Climate Action Week, I, with my CBN team and The Climate Consortium, gathered the youth of Pakistan to strike and call for Climate Action. This is “My ClimAct” and same is I want from whole youth of Pakistan to get involved with us, do individually or either by joint efforts of their team. Our planet is in trouble and only We can save it. Let’s think about the future generation! Thanks and Regards, Tayyab Shafique
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Our Writers Sadaf Yasin
Amna Akhtar
Rida Bari
Pooja Dinani
Nimra Ahmed
Maryam Eqan
Iqra Asghar
Aliza Arain
Sara Altaf
Qaswa Hamail
Sahiba Memon
Mubeena Iram
Siddiqa Soomro
Aliza Niazi
Amna Haq
Muhammad Taha
Vihren Mitev
Junaid Ahmed
Ameer Ali
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Hammad Naveed
CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
It’s Easy to Blame... The appealing of life, Hidden in the beauty of earth That you brighten a lot,
But it lost its worth. The ride of pollution, Reached up to the height of sky Neither the fish can swim, Nor the birds can fly.
The beats of temperature, Knocks the seasonal gate of cold Melts the grace of glaciers, Reservoirs kick-off to fold.
It’s easy to blame, But quite harder to suffer Spotless the fairness of nature, Create the zone of buffer.
Poem by: Nimra Ahmed The ClimAct
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
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Special Reports on Global Climate Strike and CBN Highlights 17
Let’s Revolutionize Karachi: Cable Cars Transport Network (CCTN) by Tayyab Shafique Zig-Zag Technology: Brick Kilns and Climate Change by Sara Altaf
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Terrestrial Ecosystem of Pakistan and Effects of Climate Change by Aliza Arain 23
World’s Lungs are Burning: Amazon Rainforest Wildfire by Iqra Asghar 25
Effects of Climate Change on Marine Ecosystem by Nimra Ahmed 27
The Cryptic Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change by Aliza Niazi
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Response of Living World to the Twists in Climate...! by Maryam Eqan
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Climate Change: A Health Concern by Rida Bari
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World Hepatitis Day: Climate Change and Health by Sadaf Yasin
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Climate Change Induced Diseases by Sahiba Memon
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Climate Change and Gender Inequality: Time to Achieve SDG-5 by Amna Akhtar
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Gender-Based Disaster: Climate Risk Insurance by Hammad Naveed
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Climate Change and Women Nexus by Junaid Ahmed Sohoo
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Plastic Aiding Climate Change by Amna Haq Ozone Layer Depletion by Mubeena Iram
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Industrial Revolution and Global Warming: Historical Perspective by Vihren Mitev
How Solar Cycles Influence Climate change? by Muhammad Taha Youth Can Mitigate Climate Change by Saving Forests by Pooja Dinani
Carbon Sinks: How Much they Can Take? by Qaswa Hamail Norman Fairclough’s Model: Speech Mythifying Climate Change by Ameer Ali
Pakistan’s Status at VNR – HLPF 2019; 4th Anniversary of SDGs by Siddiqa Soomro
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
SPECIAL REPORTS ON GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE AND CBN HIGHLIGHTS
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Special Report on THE VOICE OF GRETA UN CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 2019 "You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words" - Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is a teen Climate Activist from Stockholm, Sweden who is calling for stronger climate action since 2018.
A 16-year old climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed UN Climate Summit 2019 and delivered a powerful speech. She is the one who ignited the global youth to gather for Climate Strike and call for urgent action to declare Climate Emergency. "You are failing us," Greta Thunberg told heads of state as she spoke onstage, her face flushed with anger. "The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you." Her imperious "How dare you?" is a challenge to world leaders.
How dare you? The ClimAct
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Prime Minister IMRAN KHAN’s Speech at UN CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 2019
Pakistan is taking Steps to Beat Climate Change PM Imran Khan referred to the success of his government's “Billion Tree Tsunami” project and said that now work had begun to plant 10 billion trees across Pakistan in the next four years. __ “We
are raising our ambition and acting in ways to help lower world Green House Gas numbers .”
__ “Our
per-capita emissions are 135th globally, yet we have been among the top ten countries impacted by climate change – triggering 90% of natural disasters over the past two decades .”
__ “Human
beings have this capacity that once they decide to fight a crisis or a challenge, they can surmount any challenges; but problem is do they understand the gravity of the situation?” — PM Imran Khan
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Climate Change Summit 2019 at Islamabad CBN Received Climate Change Adaptation Awards Muhammad Abubakar, Coordination Manager, Climate Beacons Network, attended Climate Change Summit 2019 and represented CBN at Islamabad Serena Hotel, which was organized by Future Forum. A number of intellectuals attended the event and CBN received Climate Change Adaptation Award from Zartaj Gul, Minister of State for Climate Change.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
PAKISTANI GRETAS ON STRIKE TO CALL FOR CLIMATE ACTION NOW
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
CLIMATE STRIKE PAKISTAN Karachi Press Club, September 21, 2019
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
CLIMATE STRIKE PAKISTAN Faisalabad District Council, September 27, 2019
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Climate Beacons Network in collaboration with Farozaan Environmental Protection Organization arranged the global Climate Strike event under the “The Climate Consortium” umbrella on 21st September, 2019 at Karachi Press Club. Across the globe, millions just took part in the Global Climate Strike to demand an end to climate chaos and this was a huge milestone occurred in Karachi in the history of the climate movement. The Climate Consortium is network of responsible organizations including GEMS, IHSE Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology, NCAP, PDF etc. working to preserve environment. The Global Climate Strike is the biggest climate mobilization ever, and it’s not even over yet. CBN aims to continue to put pressure on administrative bodies and increase awareness in the public about climate change. A Charter of Demands was also shared with media as following;
Extend tree cover amongst all human populations as a national emergency measure.
Each and every city must get a canal passing through human settlements.
Rain water harvesting be made National priority as a conservation strategy.
Investment in mass public transportation be increased and individual ownership discouraged. Later is hallmark of developed economies.
Climate change will be impacted by human behavioral changes. Education of masses must begin for masses at all levels.
Water quality be taken up as a human right challenge balanced with development objectives
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
Extend Investments in renewable energy sector, as well as transform other sectors such as transport, food, agriculture and forestry systems to ensure that we can limit global temperature rise to well below 1.5°C.
All existing nurseries of federal, provincial & Cantonment Boards and city government including private nurseries be made responsible to distribute 10% of their plants (two to three feet high) to the people of Karachi free of cost.
All high rise buildings which are under construction or in the process of design approval should be made lawfully responsible to develop green cover for each building. An enforcement team comprised of the representatives of civil society be constituted to check & monitor the implementation of this Law.
All big Industrial units and their representative bodies be made legally responsible to begin a massive tree plantation campaign in all barren parks and vacant public places.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
LET’S REVOLUTIONIZE KARACHI: CABLE CARS TRANSPORT NETWORK (CCTN) Tayyab Shafique Unplanned expansion and urbanization in Karachi have come up with ridiculous problems since the creation of Pakistan. On the other hand, the increasing growth of population has resulted in increased demands for transport as well. Consequent to this, it is critical to develop an environmentally sustainable, equitable and a high level of mobile transportation system. To achieve these objectives, a number of governing factors must be ensured including sustainable urban planning, efficient and adequate urban transport system, and government’s cooperation. In this lieu, a number of transport projects have been by government. Still, there is a significant gap between the growing urban population and the available transportation facility through developing transportation system with
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Tayyab Shafique is Climate Change Specialist and Activist. He has done Masters in Environmental Sciences and leading CBN since 2014.
innovative energy and climate resilience features that will enhance access to quality public transport for people in Karachi.
Undoubtedly, there is a significant need for a more sustainable, reliable, safe, and environment-friendly transportation system in Karachi, only such type of transportation system can tackle the heavilycongested roads, traffic jams, dense and rapidly growing population challenges. Additionally, the transport sector has shown the highest emissions growth rate of all sectors and accounts for about a quarter of CO2 emissions in Pakistan (Source: National GHG Inventory, 2008). Among the other environmental issues, the transport exhaust is one of the major causes of climate change.
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Despite this, the greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from the transport sector are also going to increase the Pakistan’s contribution in global GHGs level. Although, the contribution of Pakistan in global GHGs emissions is quite low, though, it has been a major victim of climate change vulnerability.
such as Shahrah-e-Faisal which can be equipped with CCTN or SPCC. The proposed cheapest and effective mode of transportation not only will overcome consequences of climate change but also will provide number of benefits such as cost effective, reduce congestion of traffic, economic and tourism growth, beauty of the city, and strengthening of the existing infrastructure.
Pakistan ranks 7th in terms of Climate Risk Index (CRI). Currently, the annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions rate of Pakistan is 6% (18.5 million tons of CO2), which would be unprecedently exceed to 147.4 million tons if the conventional technologies will be using in the future.
Moreover, scientists and policy makers have a strong concern towards the use of renewable energy in transport sector throughout the world. The transport sector of both developed (USA, UK, Japan and European Union countries) and developing countries (China, Brazil and India) has embraced with the implementation of renewable energy during the last decade. Consequent to the aforementioned problems, the best solution to control GHGs emissions is to achieve the targets of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by implementing renewable energy-based Solar-Powered Cable Cars (SPCC) as a mode of transportation in Pakistan.
The author of National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) of Pakistan, Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhry, highlighted this issue by explaining that “Pakistan’s carbon emissions will reach 400 million tons of CO2 per year by 2030 if the situation remains intact,”. Industrial and transport sector is the highest growing contributor to climate change and therefore, these are the major drivers so far. Since 2010, only transport sector accounts for 23% of global carbon emissions whereas the urban transport accounts for 40% of end -use energy consumption.
The main reason of adopting such technology is their safe and clean operating mechanism, costeffectiveness and high sustainability. Although, it must be noted that almost all the EU countries are geographically present in temperate zones of the Earth, receives less solar exposure and characterized by low temperature, still implementing the renewable energy technology by having strong policies and their commitment towards environmental sustainability.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in their Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) reported that Carbon dioxide, having a long persistence potential in the Earth’s atmosphere, remains over centuries with irreversible and longterm negative impacts. In this regard, the emissions from the transport sector include long-lived carbon dioxide emissions and short-lived black carbon which usually generates from the diesel operating vehicles.
Whereas, on the other hand, Pakistan is blessed with tremendous potential of almost all the resources of renewable energy in the form of maximum solar hours, wind corridors at its 990 km coastal belt along Baluchistan and Sindh and biomass availability due to large amount of animal dung (5th largest livestock country). Unfortunately, the policies and commitments toward achieving such goals are quite low.
Therefore, as an innovative alternative, the Megacity Karachi can be introduced with a “Cable Car Transport Network” (CCTN) integrated with the existing transportation system. In order to make it more sustainable and innovative it can be designed as to generate some of its own energy needs through a solar panel installed on the roof, hence, there are many other options are available for utilizing green energy. The proposed CCTN can provide cheaper and safer transport than other transportation options and with low greenhouse gas emissions.
Hence, it is recommended to the technologists of the transportation and automobile industries in Pakistan that the proposed idea should be considered and must be launched soon in order to stop the Pakistan’s little contribution towards GHGs. Not only at Shahrah-e-Faisal, other busy roads should also be revolutionized with such technology to provide ease to public as well as to minimize the pollution.
The proposed CCTN or Solar-Powered-Cable Cars (SPCC) are one of the most effective options for transportation sector. For this initiative, proper sites identification is necessary; and, for Karachi city, there are multiple busiest and congested roads exist
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
ZIG-ZAG TECHNOLOGY: BRICK KILNS AND CLIMATE CHANGE Sarah Altaf The building sector of Pakistan uses brick as major material. These bricks are mostly manufactured in the local kilns. These kilns use coal, wood, tyres and furnace oil as fuel, which produce air pollutants COx, NOx and SOx . These gases are the preliminary contributors towards Climate Change and Global Warming. Fuel oil is used at the starting time. Every kiln consumes 90 to 180 tons of coal, 10 to 15 tons of wood and 4 to 6 tons of rubber per month. The pollution of brick kilns also centrals to high concentration of heavy metals like Cd (Cadmium) and Cr (Chromium) to the environment. The harmful impacts of the brick kilns cause air and visual pollution , breathing issues.
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Sarah Altaf is an Environmentalist by profession and her field of interest includes climate change and its impacts.
Health and Safety issues of the community around the kilns. The exhaust of Green House Gases, stance severe threat to the environmental quality and ecological value of whole Punjab. About 20 % people of Pakistan work in brick kilns as an income generation, including urban and rural areas. Most of the brick kilns, which produce clay bricks, are located in or around the urban cities of Pakistan. They emit thick black smoke containing several air pollutants (carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides) and fine particulate matter, which present serious health hazards (human illnesses, animal and destroy plant life) to communities living around them.
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Introduction to Natural Draft Zigzag Kiln
illnesses caused by kilns pollution, comparing those who are living in areas without the kilns. School children nearby brick kilns were had the worse condition of health and they were suffered for higher frequency of upper respiratory tract infections like pharyngitis and tonsillitis .
Natural Draught Zigzag firing kiln is a moving fire kiln in which the fire moves in a closed rectangular circuit through the bricks stacked in the annular space between the outer and the inner wall of the kiln. It has many resemblances with FCBTK technology; the main difference being the zigzag air flow path. The bricks are stacked in such a manner to guide the air flow in a zigzag path. Zigzag flow increases the air flow path length and disorder in the air, thereby results on a better quality of combustion & heat transfer rate and uniform temperature across the kiln cross section. The main revolution in natural draught zigzag kiln is that while traditionally zigzag firing was done with the support of fan draught, in this kiln the zigzag operation is achieved through the chimney draught. The main advantages of natural draft zigzag kilns are reduced energy consumption, reduced pollutant emissions and improved product quality. Brick kilns will be converted into new zigzag technology in case of success of the model brick kiln.
Environmental Impacts Air pollution has local as well as global impacts. Both living and non-living organisms are facing the adverse effect of pollution. Plant health is affected by air pollution because pollutants like fluorine, lead, and mercury damage the plants. Acid rain, fog formation, bio-diversity loss etc. are the negative impacts for air pollution in environment. Fog is another phenomenon causing effect to nearby areas. Due to air pollution, ratio of fog formation is accelerating. This fog can damage normal transportation systems, reduce the growth of crops due to decrease of sunlight. Bio-diversity of different areas can degrade due to air pollution because all these chemical components are affecting the organisms. This eventually drops the agricultural and farming production. In short term the vegetation process hampers, crops production decreases, plants fruits fall down etc. and long-term impacts are ozone depletions, global warming, photochemical smog’s, land fertility decreases, ground water level down etc. From the above-mentioned discussion about zig zag brick kiln technology Pakistan is in leading position for air pollution. The study shows that the health status of local people is in danger with brick kilns in the area. The level of different air pollutants in the ambient air were complex during the operation of brick kilns. So, community people are facing diseases like respiratory, nasal cognition and reduce visibility for the brick kilns pollution. Smoke and dust from brick kilns emission have adverse effect on visibility. Measures like shutting down illegal kilns, introduction of cleaner technologies such as vertical shaft kilns and fixed chimney kilns, in the substitution of traditional kilns with newer technologies are reducing air pollution. It is suggested for standard emission from brick kilns will significantly reduce the air pollution as well as reduced the impact on environment and human health. Similarly, provisions need to create that brick kilns should constructed away from the residential areas. Brick kilns should not be set up on arable lands and minimum three kilometers distance away from any housing area, reserve forest, and educational institution.
Production Process The brick manufacturing process practiced in the natural draft zigzag includes clay preparation, manual molding of green bricks, drying of green bricks in open places, firing of bricks in natural draft zig zag kiln and the product finalization. Health Impacts of Zig Zag Technology (Brick Kilns) A health survey clearly showed that people who are living near brick kilns are more likely to suffer from
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEM OF PAKISTAN AND EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE Aliza Arain A terrestrial ecosystem is a type of natural ecosystem found only on biomes. There are major six primary terrestrial ecosystems exist in the world which are Tundra, Taiga, Temperate deciduous forest, Tropical rain forest, Grassland and Deserts
distinguished from aquatic ecosystems by the lower availability of water and the consequent importance of water as a limiting factor. Terrestrial ecosystems are characterized by greater temperature fluctuations on both a diurnal and seasonal basis that occur in aquatic ecosystems in similar climates. The availability of light is greater in terrestrial ecosystems than in aquatic ecosystems because the atmosphere is more transparent inland than in water. Gases are more available in terrestrial ecosystems than in aquatic ecosystems. Those gases include carbon dioxide that serves as a substrate for photosynthesis, oxygen that serves as a substrate in aerobic respiration, and nitrogen that serves as a substrate for nitrogen fixation.
These primary ecosystems add more information regarding each of these ecosystems. Basically, the concept of ecosystem was given by British botanist and zoologist Sir Arthur Tansley in 1935, he was also pioneer in science of ecology. According to the scientific definition of an terrestrial ecosystem is a community of organisms and their environment that occurs on the land masses of continents and islands, terrestrial ecosystems are
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Aliza Arain is a Graduate in Environmental Sciences, University of Sindh, Jamshoro. She has a passion for the field of Environment.
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Effects on Terrestrial Ecosystems
Terrestrial environments are segmented into a subterranean portion from which most water and ions are obtained, and an atmospheric portion from which gases are obtained and where the physical energy of light is transformed into the organic energy of carbon-carbon bonds through the process of photosynthesis.
Human Impact There is one type of extensive terrestrial ecosystem due solely to human activities which also cause an effect in the terrestrial ecosystem and the other eight types are natural ecosystems. Those natural ecosystems reflect the variation of precipitation and temperature over the Earth's surface. Cultivated lands, which together with grasslands and savannas utilized for grazing are referred to as agroecosystems, are of intermediate extent and productivity. Because of both their areal extent and their high average productivity, tropical forests are the most productive of all terrestrial ecosystems, contributing 45% of total estimated net primary productivity on land. Now a day’s human activities have damaged or distributed more than half of the world's terrestrial ecosystem and humans have had a number of specific harmful effects on the world's deserts, grasslands, forests and mountain. In the agriculture sometime effect in terrestrial ecosystem occur also due to the soil erosion, in the field of soil science soil ecology It is the study of the interactions among soil biology, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment.
Ecological Regions in Pakistan Pakistan is a land of high mountains, fertile river valleys, and inhospitable deserts. Situated in South Asia, Pakistan’s ecoregions are home to a wide range of flora and fauna. The Indus Valley ecoregion is the only one that lies entirely in Pakistan while the rest are shared with its neighbors such as India and Nepal. Himalayan Subtropical Rain Forest The Himalayan subtropical pine forests ecoregion in Pakistan is classified under the Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests Biome. This ecoregion stretches for about 3,000 km across the Himalayas through these four countries Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The dominant pine species is the chir pine (Pinux roxburghii). The region is divided into the eastern and the western part of the Kali Gandaki river valley. The eastern part receives more rainfall from monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal. Fauna in the region do not exhibit a high level of endemism and includes 120 mammal species such as the barking deer, goral, and yellow-throated marten. The ecoregion has been severely degraded through agriculture and deforestation.
Climate Change Impact
According to the types of climate, Pakistan country located in dry climate regions in the world and Pakistan covers about 4% land by the forests like tropical, alpine, sub alpine and other forest in Pakistan, due to this reason of the forest. The reasons of less quantities of forest in Pakistan these factors are increase which are Temperature, precipitation, latitude and altitude all determine distribution of major terrestrial ecosystem (biomes). All Plants play a best role to decrease climate change in terrestrial ecosystem these plants also decrease the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere because the carbon dioxide is one of greenhouse gases and through this gas, sun radiation passes easily from this gas.
Thar Desert The Thar Desert ecoregion is terrestrial ecosystem and it is classified in the Deserts and xeric shrublands biome. Scrub species such as Acacia, Calligonum polygonoides and Crotalaria and grasses such as Eleusine, Eragrostis, Panicum, and Cyperus are common vegetation in the region. Several mammal species have adapted to the extreme conditions including the desert fox, the endangered blackbuck, caracal, and the Indian wild ass. 141 bird species have been identified in the region including the great Indian bustard, tawny eagle, and laggar Falcon. The Nara Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and the Rann of Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary are some of the conservation reserves in the region.
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So, every citizen in our society, districts, provinces, countries and the world should plantation every day, or week, then earth will get result low global warming and this is a way to reduce the climate change in our terrestrial ecosystem.
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WORLD’S LUNGS ARE BURNING: AMAZON RAINFOREST WILDFIRE Iqra Asghar Forests are one of the types of ecosystem that are equipped with diverse species of plants, animals and microorganisms that directly or indirectly are interrelated to each other. About one-third - 31% of terrestrial land is covered with forests. These woodlands produce oxygen that we need to breathe, act as natural carbon sequestering agents (moderate Global warming as well as negative impacts of climate change) and serve as habitat for various kinds of organisms. But this fruitful place is also under continues threat of certain catastrophe events such as floods, landslides, avalanches, natural fires and by some anthropogenic affairs (deforestation, fires). Among all these, fires are most common disaster for forests. Such incident have been reported recently on August 2019, when Amazon forests
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Iqra Asghar has done Masters in Environmental Science from Punjab University. She has a strong passion of writing articles.
suddenly burn out in Brazil, which have about 60% Amazon Forest in their territory. Amazon is considered as the largest rainforests (composed of tall, broad-leaf trees with more diverse flora & fauna than tropical & temperate forests) in the world sheltering about 2.2 million square miles. Amazon forests are stretches across Brazil (60%), Peru (13%), Colombia (10%) and the rest of these forests are located in Bolivia, Ecuador, French, Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname. Amazon also has the title of Biggest Jungle (an impenetrable thick or tangle mass of vegetation) of the world. Amazon Rainforest is the house of 16000 tree species and 390 billion of individual trees, while 2/3 of these trees are situated in Brazil.
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These trees are producing about 20% of the world’s oxygen and that’s why called the “Lungs of World”. From this fact, we can say that Amazon forests plays primary and important role to fight with increasing Global Warming and mitigating the Climate Change.
fires. They have decided to do the following measures:
According to researches, Amazon Rainforests are becoming more vulnerable to catastrophic forest fires due to multiple factors like droughts, climate change, deforestation, farming and habitat fragmentation. Amazon become more vulnerable to fires in dry season which extends from July to October either due to natural reason of lightning strikes or by clearing lands for cropping or grazing deliberately by farmers and loggers. Brazil occupied rainforest have long history of fires as the country experience > 142,000 fires in Amazon rainforest in first eight months of 2005 while alone in 2018, Amazon fires increased up to 84% revealed by National Institute for Space Research. These fires may burst out either due to natural or man-induced activities. Primary reasons for Amazon Wildfire are farming in jungle, deforestation, construction and rewilding forests.
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To work on Reforestation to protect Amazon River Basin;
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To put more efforts to educate the residents of Amazon to avoid fire-causing actions; and
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To engage communities to play their role to conserve the “Lungs of World”.
Research have shown that, every year forest burning spread its destructive effects beyond the flames that kill trees and desiccate the landscape that is far away from the tripping (burning) point. These buildup flammable materials make the forest more vulnerable to catch the fire and produce more damaging effects for the entire forest basin. Consequently, after spotting such drastic effects of fire in Amazon Forest on August 2019 Brazil (occupy 60% of forest) should develop a policy for “Environmental Restoration”. Otherwise, in future time will come when Amazonian fires will be uncontrollable and push the forest to a “Tipping Point” – point of no return and forest ecosystem will permanently change into desert.
But in the year 2019, most of the fires are resulting from human error during grazing and land clearing for farming. Since January 2019, more than 80,000 fires have been recorded. History shows that Amazon Rainforests are “fire resistant” because of its natural environment but in the present era dry season creates favorable condition for fire and it only make start by humans either deliberately or accidently. These fires are not only fatal for plants or trees that burn out but also for humans because of the release of plumes of smoke and carbon dioxide which also uplifting environmental challenges for the world. These fires are also destroying the homes of indigenous tribes who are residing there. After observing the drastic effects of Amazon Rainforest fire of this year, seven countries enacted to do some proactive measures to avoid from such conditions. At a summit in Colombia 2019, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname signed a pact to conserve Amazon Rainforest (store of CO2) from disastrous
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON MARINE ECOSYSTEM Nimra Ahmed From ancient time, the world was known by its natural beauty and well-maintained natural system, but as the time passes this green land become a barren soil structure, blue crystal ocean turns into black blur surface, and the fresh air converted into smoky surroundings. Urban development, population growth, industrial revolution, and business competition have become major reasons in the provision of contaminants that restrict the natural flow. Out of these, degradation of environmental sectors water is become highly infected media due to its high absorption capacity and larger amount of existence; the world consists 70% of water.
total earth’s surface area. With this large coverage Marine water, contribute two-third of its part, differentiated by its high salt content and considered one of the largest aquatic system. Based on different zones it is classify into six main categories. • • • • • •
Open Marine Ecosystem Ocean Floor Marine Ecosystem Coral Reef Marine Ecosystem Estuaries Marine Ecosystem Salt water Wetland Estuary Marine Ecosystem Mangroves Marine Ecosystem
These categories define the existence of living beings and their interaction with non-living environment.
The ocean of the world covers the area about 361.9 million square kilometer; equivalent to 70.9% of the
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Nimra Ahmed is doing Graduation from Mehran UET, Jamshoro. She has a strong passion of writing articles and stories.
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Marine ecosystem naturally occurred number of resources and well-maintained system by biological activities, chemical reactions, and physical changes; the flow of marine ecosystem slow down, the color changes, species lost in numbers and beauty twilight when the pollution wins the race against nature. There are number of sources that raise the pollution level and stain the story of Marine ecosystem; such as climate change, global warming, power plants, mines, factories, urban run-off, soluble organics, waste water drainage, ship accidents, natural disasters, increasing demands, trade of coral reefs, destructive fishing practices and tourism. Ocean provide the habitat for various species about 90% out of 30% covered by Marine water in which coral reef and mangroves consider as nursery of ocean it provide region for 1000 species per m2 area. In between 1985 and 2005, 35,000 square kilometer mangroves were cleared globally and increasing coral reef extraction for souvenirs and interior design structure limited the nesting of habitat for species; estimation and research concluded that Marine system lost the habitat for species in year 2100 about 20%. From the beautiful stainless beginning of Marine life Ecosystem film that flows with number of strategic scenes, dangerous stunts, emotional species life, polluted songs, and the drama where human collapse with nature. The film climax is reached at the point where contaminants hold the hero, Marine Ecosystem and species is about to lost their place of living. Now, the end of the film is in the hands of human beings they put the actions towards sustainability by adopting eco-friendly habits, reduce deforestation, decrease the dependency on natural resources and increase plantation and maintained natural system; by prioritizing these factors they cover the end as beautiful as the beginning.
These sources release number of contaminants in a form of hydrocarbon that combines with other molecules and cause acid rain which directly deplete Marine Ecosystem; similarly ship accidents release oil on the surface of water that cover a large area and may consist heavy particles which settled down and disturbed aquatic life; in addition with Tourist and Destructive fishing practices may harm coral reefs and natural beauty. These practices is still in its continuous phase to weaken the marine ecosystem bond with nature; tons of pollution become the regular customer of marine ecosystem which brings beauty, fresh water, species, wetlands and other resources in exchange.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
THE CRYPTIC BIODIVERSITY LOSS AND CLIMATE CHANGE Aliza Niazi We live in a world that is becoming one world by virtue of its interdependencies. The rigorous growth of industrialization in developed and developing countries have a serious impact on biodiversity. The world has started facing the consequences of this environmental catastrophe. Similar is the case with Pakistan. Various disastrous chemicals released by these industries are mixing into the atmosphere and causing destruction to our mother nature. Atmospheric temperature is rising day by day due to which glaciers are melting. This glacier meltdown is becoming the cause of flooding which as a result bringing annihilation to various species and their living domain.
dimensions; time (e.g. phenology), space (e.g. range) and shelf (e.g. physiology). Over the past century, the global average temperature has risen by 0.7ºC and is predicted to continue rising in future. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that temperature is expected to rise by 1.1– 6.4ºC by the end of the twenty-first century relative to the 1980–1999 baseline data. This rising extent will cause destruction to our biodiversity and Natural ecosystem by either spreading disease or through their extinction. Since 2010, Pakistan has been facing an epidemic of dengue fever that has caused 16,580 confirmed cases and 257 deaths in Lahore. The Aedes Mosquito that spread dengue, multiplied by reproducing on standing flood water.
Species react to these climate challenges by shifting their climate niche along three non-exclusive
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Aliza Niazi is doing Bachelors in Environmental Sciences from Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
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Nearly 5000 cases and 60 deaths reported from the rest of the country.
Impacts from climate change could result in a loss of up to 30 percent of the snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas alone”.
But that is not always the case. In comparison to dengue fever in which people are suffering from mosquito, many other species are considered as endangered due to human damage to their living climate for example green sea turtles of Hawks Bay Beach, Karachi. These turtles are dying due to suffocation by trapping themselves into plastic bags thrown in sea by people living nearby areas.
Similarly, Vulture; a great Scavenger that feed on dead, was considered endangered in Pakistan over the last few decades. There was a time when people could see the vultures flying frequently but now! Never seen particularly in urban areas for years. Past war zones are also the major contributor of climate change. The injurious chemicals released by the weapons have been spread throughout the atmosphere. These chemicals changing the physical and chemical properties of the climate are making adverse shifts in migration patterns of various species.
Similarly, many marine species died on July 28, 2003 due to Tasman Spirit accidental oil spillage spreading from Mubbarak village to Manora, Karachi.
The situation of terrestrial ecosystem in Pakistan is not appreciable as well. Steep decline in population of Snow Leopard, the winter wild cat of Pakistan, can be presented as an example. Temperature rise, snow meltdown, poaching of their prey and trading are eventually leading to their extinction in near future.
Should this habitat loss remain continue? Should this Climate change issue remain ignored? Should people continue to suffer from this torment of damaged atmosphere? No! We need to stand up and stop this massive rate of climate fluctuations. We need to make every single person aware of the importance of climate change. Let’s make this earth a better place for our future generation. Just don’t let species go extinct as we all are linked with each other in this world.
Why they are important: Snow leopards act as both top predator and an indicator of the health of their high-altitude habitat. If snow leopards succeed to grow, so will countless other species. According to WWF “Climate change poses perhaps have the greatest long-term threat to snow leopards.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
RESPONSE OF LIVING WORLD TO THE TWISTS IN CLIMATE…! Maryam Eqan A continuous change in climate has been observed over the last century. The earth has been warmed up by 0.6 ± 0.2° C since 1900, that has been followed by the disappearance of glaciers and sea-ice, increased number of heat waves, rise in ocean temperature, a sea-level rise of approximately 10– 20 cm, an apparent change in the rate of precipitation, causing floods in many and droughts in other and less frequency of frosts.
Temperature and rainfall patterns play a major role in the lives of these millions of species. Many of the living species are totally dependent on temperature rise and fall for their shelter, growth and reproduction. Change in temperature has a direct impact on physiology of many species. One among the examples is that the sex of embryo of turtles is temperature dependent. Climate change effects the species as well as ecosystem both directly and indirectly. Changes in climate is definitely going to affect the global forest cover and geographical distribution of many species, as it is expected that more species will move towards the poles if this trend of temperature rise will continue.
Realistic evidences have proven that this overall rise in temperature is due to the prevalence of greenhouse gases that are produced by anthropogenic activities. A temperature rise of 4°C by 2100 has been predicted. There are 13 million species that are existing on this planet out of which 1.7 million has been reported.
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Maryam Eqan is student of Environment at GC Women University, Sialkot. She has strong passion for environment.
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The report, from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), finds that many lifeforms are moving towards North or into deeper waters to survive as their habitats shift. These changes are estimated to speed up and become more apparent over the next few decades, though the precise nature and rate of change is uncertain for distinct species and ecosystems. When we talk about the marine distribution of turtles on Karachi coast, Pakistan, there are different species of turtles that visit the coast for breeding, among them are, two species of marine turtles, the Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) that are commonly found along the coast while the other two species the Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtle are rarely observed. A long term study has been conducted along the coast (Hawkes bay) and the green turtle is being listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The migratory birds usually arrive in Pakistan at the end of August and begin leaving in February. The birds are all gone by March. As the
grounds, in their non-breeding range, and along migratory routes and these disrupted conditions do not serve the purpose and it has been studied that birds raised in highly saline conditions exhibit significant changes in behavior, including increased activity and decreased feeding and preening. High salinity resulted in significant weight loss of 4.4 g by day 3 of most of the birds. Not only this, many migratory birds die due to starvation and predation as they need to travel longer to find comfortable stops. This climate change impacts are not observed in Pakistan only, but a number of countries have been stricken by this. The orange-spotted filefish that was highly sensitive to warm water went extinct in Japan during an episode of warmer ocean temperatures in 1988. The succulent Quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma) of the arid west of South Africa and Namibia, is unable to grow and disperse quickly enough to keep up with a fast-changing climate. The impact on the ecology and environment due to climate change is usually dawdling and challenging to measure but more often irreversible. It is expected that with time the effects of climate change are likely to increase in relation to the other factors and if it will continue on the same rate we are going to enter a chain reaction of devastation from where we could not return back.
temperatures in Siberia drop below -30 degrees Celsius, the birds make their way to warmer climes. The route of the migratory birds is called ‘Flyway Four’ or the ‘Green Route’ in Pakistan. The migratory birds fly From Siberia, over Afghanistan and into Pakistan, where they track the Indus River on the way to Sindh. A proper study regarding the decline in the number of migratory birds has been studied in Uchalli complex, Pakistan, that showed that change in climate is having a negative impact on precipitation rate, water level of lakes and migratory bird count. The physical effects on the lakes due to climate change include increase in evapotranspiration due to high temperature, long growing season and extended ice-free period. These summer conditions initiate salt water intrusion and dries up the water passages of the migratory birds. Migratory species require suitable conditions throughout their annual cycle — in their breeding
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
CLIMATE CHANGE: A HEALTH CONCERN Rida Bari The climate of the earth has changes drastically, melting of glaciers in Green land and Antarctica is witness that the earth climate has been affected very badly with these changes and various evidences from physiological changes also reveal that the earth is getting warmer about ten times faster. According to NASA report the earth temperature has increased to about 0.9℃ as the human enter in the age of Industrialization, burning of fossil fuel emits greenhouse gases. According to an estimation Green land lost an average of 286 billion tons of ice per year from 1993 to 2016, and unpredictable wild life have been ravaging in Siberia as a result of extremely high temperature.
during Ramadan that outcomes the death of many precious life, after this unbearable heat wave followed by unpredictable rainfall that changes the scenario into flood in throughout Pakistan. Recently scientist predicted an icy vortex in Britain which is a record breaking in a period of 30 years. Hence normal regulation of temperature maintains the beauty of topography but slight variation may devastate the aesthetic views. Flood has the prospective to raise the probability of transmission of many waterborne as well as vector borne disease, because of our obsolete infrastructure these waters remain on roads responsible for an inconvenience for traffic and also responsible for moldering smell.
A warmer climate would increase the risk of flood as we all have witness that the extreme heat wave
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Rida Bari has done Masters in Environmental Sciences from University of Karachi. She also wants to study its Management.
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According to World Health Organization (WHO) Pakistan had harvested an outbreak of Cholera after 2010 flood and the most reported cases of cholera was found in the premises of flood effected regions.
security and lead the country with low production and enhance the ratio of malnutrition in indigenous people on the other site it affects our economy. Low GDP of country makes them financially weak and raise the prizes of household stuffs which a lowincome person cannot bear the expenses of daily life.
Hepatitis A and E is spread as a result of contaminated food and water, overcrowding and lack of sanitary aspects provoke the chances of disease and one major aspect that promote in spreading of these diseases is lack of awareness in people. The severe rainfall in Karachi nourishes many insects which Karachiites are facing and these are responsible for many diseases as street vendor doesn’t have concern with hygiene and many bacterial and viral infection are becoming resistant towards high temperature and drugs from here the chain of disease transfer starts and ends up in an epidemic in the entire region. The recent rain fall in Karachi make condition worse and causes over flow of sewerage water and these all because of the dispute of power between local and federal government and ball of transfer of impeachment are the reason which the people have to suffer from over flowing of Malir river that cut off many links to area and absquatulate in many houses.
As we all know that Amazon rainforest is set on fire and about 20 % of oxygen is came from these rainforests and also a sink of carbon not only that these forests are also known for this marvelous biodiversity, many scientists extract various plant species which are curable in cancer disease. Forest plays a vital role in regulating temperature as carbon dioxide is main constituent of greenhouse gas that increases the earth temperature are absorbed by plants or trees but due to burning of forest in such a mass quantity stimulate the rise in temperature of the earth. Living in 21th century but still facing lack of basic facility lack of fiscal policies regarding medication, jobs, that creates a number of problems varying in temperature changes many cycles including flood, insects’ cycle and ripping of crops as well. But government didn’t make any strategy for tackling all these problems. Changes in cycles on side boost the reproduction ability in insects and worms that causes damage to crops and a decline in productivity puts more burden in budget and that reduces the ratio of investment towards health. Comparing to other country intense conditions in Africa where low economy and poverty has deep rooted in the continent drought conditions make worse for people to survive and a con in that is having deadliest disease (Congo, Ebola) makes their economy in dynamic with constant low. Changing of climate is part of nature but was accelerated by anthropogenic sources although making policies would compensate it, so it’s a high time to take steps to tackle with climate change.
Dengue a vector-borne disease which required stagnant water to hatch their eggs and flood or rain water are the ideal place for them. In Pakistan (2011) there are about 21685 dengue registered cases in which almost 350 had gone fatal and in 2016 the number of cases has raised to 71649 with 757 deaths. Hence in these two years Pakistan have to face severe flood and rain fall under such circumstances an estimate of 71 civilian were killed and similar in the situation of 2011 flood 434 people were killed and affect 5.9 million people. Climate change alters the raining pattern which also related to our food
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
WORLD HEPATITIS DAY: CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH
Sadaf Yasin Climate change is a change in the pattern of weather, and related changes in oceans, land surfaces and ice sheets, occurring over time scales of decades or longer. The consequences of human activities have resulted a change of natural greenhouse gases. The atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration has alleviated due to the burning of fossil fuels. This has resulted in the rise in temperature of earth affecting the global climate. The temperature of the world has been increased by approximately 0.85 oC during the last 130 years. The last three decades has been sequentially warmer than any previous decade since 1850.
consequences on human beings and environment. The effect it causes directly changes in maximum and minimum temperatures, rise in sea levels with intensifying temperatures, change in precipitation levels and dwindling glaciers. The indirect effect of climate change which directly causes problems for human and environment includes health risks, biodiversity loss, water crises, ocean acidification, etc. Health being the most important component of wellness and contentment can be affected by the negative impacts of climate change. Healthy populations concerning productivity and accomplishment perform better. Generally, health effects by climate change are categorized as follows:
The climate change destabilizes the balance of temperature of the earth and has in-depth
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Sadaf Yasin holds a Postgraduate degree in Environmental Science from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad.
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• •
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The ones which are direct caused by weather extremes Those which are caused by the result of various environmental changes and ecological disruptions The indirect impacts are linked to social and environmental detriments of health e.g. air pollution, food security, drinking water quality, nutrition and disease vectors
Extremes in temperatures and changing patterns of precipitation are likely to decline the production of staple crops eventually causing 3.1 million deaths every year globally with malnutrition. In varying temperatures, pollen and other aeroallergen levels prompt asthma and other respiratory diseases affecting 300 million people. July 28th is the day observed worldwide to highlight the importance of deadly infectious disease called hepatitis which is impacting millions of lives. Viral hepatitis is a cluster of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO), 257 million people are affected with chronic hepatitis B and 71 million with chronic hepatitis C globally. The biggest cause of casualties in the developing world is hepatitis E resulting in 3.4 million cases leading to 70,000 deaths and 3,000 stillbirths per year. Alone in Pakistan, this deadly viral disease is a serious threat taking 150,000 lives every year directly or as to morbidity making the country to have a high disease occurrence. According to estimates, more than 18 million people in Pakistan are infected with hepatitis B and C making it equivalent to over 9% of the total population of Pakistan. In the Province of Sindh, every fifth death is credited to Hepatitis B and C.
The extreme weather events result from high precipitation causing storms, landslides and floods etc. The low precipitation results in heat, humidity, drought and wild forest fires, etc. The injuries, morbidity and mortality due to climate induced extreme weather events are the major consequence. In 2017, 59,985 extreme weather events resulted in 592 casualties and 4, 270 injuries. The major events that resulted in the consequences were flash flood, storms and heat waves. Moreover between 1996 and 2015, more than 528,000 people were found dead as an outcome of 11,000 weather events with economic losses of US$3.08 trillion. One factor of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases is extremity in temperature particularly in elders. High temperature also alleviates the ozone concentration and other pollutants that aggravate respiratory diseases. Pollen and other aeroallergen levels also tend to increase in extreme heat triggering asthma which distresses around 300 million people in the world.
The community of global health has not comprehended viral hepatitis as a major obstruction to development in 2000. This is the reason for not including it in Millennium Development Goals at that time. In 2015, the agenda got acknowledgement in Sustainable Development Goals as a global health and development priority. The global health community pledges to contest hepatitis by 2030. The goal if achieved will reduce the number of casualties by 65% and increase treatment rates from 1% to 80%.
Worldwide the number of weather-related natural disasters has tripled since 1960 resulting in more than 60,000 deaths. The other consequences include the destruction of homes, loss of livestock and other medical facilities. The migrations due to these calamities result in a large range of health effects ranging from mental disorders to communicable diseases. Change in rainfall patterns disturbs the supply of freshwater. Inadequate supply of freshwater perturbs crops. People do not get enough water for their needs. Water lacking sanitation results in deadly diseases of diarrhea, cholera, typhoid and other water-borne diseases. In extreme cases, scarcity of water leads to drought and by the late 21st century, the frequency of these impacts can increase globally. On the other way round, floods foul freshwater supplies escalating the possibility of water-borne diseases. Solely the transmission of malaria causes more than 400,000 deaths every year. Climate change elongates the breeding and transmission seasons of vector borne diseases.
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The theme of World Hepatitis Day 2019 is “Invest in Eliminating Hepatitis” which focuses on elimination goals by 2030. This year, it was focused to look into and raise awareness to find the “missing millions”. As alone in USA, 290 million out of 325 million are unaware of what they have been going through ultimately resulting in casualties. In other words, 9 in 10 people are oblivious that they are infected with this deadly disease. So to find the missing millions, it is imperative to get yourself tested. Without knowing your status, the chances to sustain are in the gloom. As nobody in this world deserve to go to the darkness of death without even trying to be alive.
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CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED DISEASES Sahiba Memon Pakistan is highly affected due to climate change. Because of rising global temperature. The impacts of climate change not only the Biodiversity, Ecosystem, Changes sea level and weather pattern but it also impacts on human health due to induced of infectious diseases. As temperature increases the more induced and expands of infectious diseases. Human health is linked to the environment we live in. The effects of infectious diseases vary the type of size, location, and socio-economic situations.
Direct climate change effects on infectious diseases due to the following factors: • • • •
• • • •
Direct effects In direct effects
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Rising Temperature Changes Wind patterns Changes Precipitation pattern Changes Humidity level
Indirect climate change effects on infectious diseases due to the following reasons:
There are two types of effect on induced diseases: • •
Sahiba Memon is doing Graduation in Environmental Engineering from Mehran UET, Jamshoro.
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Drought conditions Changes in Vegetation Changes Hydrological cycle Agriculture actions
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At what type of diseases induced?
At which media infectious disease transmitted?
Mostly infectious diseases are temperature-sensitive and induced due to optimal climate conditions, increases temperature, heavy rainfall, improper sewage system and disposal of solid waste. The following diseases Induce due to these factors: • • • • • • •
Infectious diseases are transmitted through the contact from person to person, the air is transferred infectious diseases from one place to another, insect bites, contamination of water, soil and wind is also transmitted the infectious diseases to people.
Waterborne diseases and Food borne diseases Vector borne diseases Tick borne diseases Malaria Dengue fever Yellow and black fever Mosquitoes Snail borne diseases
Cholera and non-cholera diarrhoeal was increased due to the heavy rainfall. The type of infectious diseases is different. It depends on the condition of the location. Due to heavy rainfall and improper sewage system. Malaria is a type of vector-borne disease. The number of malaria cases increases due to high temperature and rainfall. Dengue fever is a viral infectious disease. This infectious disease is transferred through the bite of mosquitoes. In Pakistan, millions of peoples were died due to the suffering from that disease. Half of Pakistan’s population were living with asthma.
So, what can we do? We can do simple things in order to reduce the effects of climate change on human health. • Social campaign • Safe from mosquitoes bites with the proper use of mosquitoes net and screens • More drinking of water • Store the food with proper covering • Wearing loose fitting clothes • Reduce the burning of fossil fuels • Proper the disposal of hospital waste • There is no stagnant water around your home where mosquitoes can breed • When you eat the food wash the hand properly • Reduce the open dumping of waste • Don’t swim if you had suffered from diarrhoea. • Proper disposal and collection of waste rather than the open dumping and burning of waste • Treat the flue gases before its release in to the environment • Reduce reuse and recycle solid waste • Avoid the use of plastic bags • Reduction of CO2 emissions • Stop the cutting and burning of trees.in order to cut the trees you must compensate for trees • Use the sustainable way of natural resources • Reduce the use of agriculture pesticides • Use public transport it will improve air quality, and reduce rates of respiratory diseases, asthma heart disease.
Who is most at risk of health effects due to climate change? • • •
•
•
•
•
Mostly people are affected to impacts of climate change. Children are more vulnerable due to heat stress, dehydration, and increased infectious diseases. Due to the heat stress and heat waves, pregnant women are more at risk. such as the birth of premature babies. They and their unborn babies are prone to climate change. Old fogey is more susceptible to dehydration, heat stress, infections, heat waves, and heart and lung disease. The communities which are from rural and remote areas are increased at risk due to the lack of awareness and limited accessibility of hospital and healthcare services. Extreme temperature directly affects human health by balancing the body’s internal temperature. Due to the loss of internal body temperature produce different types of illness. Heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia in the presence of extreme heat, as cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
CLIMATE CHANGE AND GENDER INEQUALITY: TIME TO ACHIEVE SDG-5 Amna Akhtar Pakistan is one of those countries which had been seriously impacted due to climate change, the evidence being floods, infrequent rainfalls, droughts and sea-water intrusion challenging human health, economics and natural resources of the country. Gender plays a vital role in any society by adapting and mitigating to those factors of climate change which can deplete our environment. Gender basically concerns with those values and norms which is developed by the society implemented on men and women. The relationship between climate change and gender determines the capability of men and women to cope with extreme climatic events according to their roles and responsibilities set in every culture. Pakistan being an underdeveloped country is facing vulnerable situation in emerging climate changes.
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Amna Akhtar is currently pursuing her Masters in Environmental Studies from University of Karachi.
The current statistics regarding climate change indicates that it is affecting the gender roles both men and women. But women are mostly susceptible in Pakistan where they are mostly dependent on man to do all other errands in a male-dominant society. Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens in terms of poverty, health and inability to participate in decision and policy making. In Tharparkar, which is a poverty stricken region where there is shortage of water and food necessities, women have to travel on long distances carrying weights to bring water from the wells. In such situations they can face security issues or interaction with wild animals. They also have to look after their children and their livestock along with facing these climatic events.
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Majority of women are restricted into their homes in the season of flood due the mindset that it will look inappropriate for women to be soaked in flood water.
male-dominated. Adopting a gender equality framework can lead to more cost-efficient adaptive measures, disaster mitigation and achieving sustainable goals to combat climate related effects. Gender inequalities in Pakistan which can have negative impacts are difference of social status, high rates of sexual and gender-based violence, limited access to resources, unemployment rates particularly for women, ineffective participation of women in politics and decision making, unequal share of payment as compared to men.
It is really important to focus on the unheard voices of the women in rural areas and to educate the young girls and adult women to take part in solutions. Last year in Karachi, the heat wave which killed about 1500 people mostly included women. Policy makers have recognized that gender equality is important in solving climate issues. Women are the important assets of our society whose participation, empowerment and social status should be directed towards solving the climate related issues. Women can play a critical role in climate policies with their leadership and knowledge i.e in developing sustainable resource management on communal and household levels. It has been proven that engaging women in innovative programs in all the sectors have transformed livelihoods and overall well being of the society.
Despite this situation that women are on the frontline of climatic impacts than men, our nation’s policy makers have completely failed to address the problems in view of gender perspective. Every year, Pakistan loses billions of rupees in response to these effects due to the low technical and financial capacity. It’s a high time that we realize this situation and take it into account by implementing climate change framework. The provincial and governmental sectors as well as NGO’s should educate awareness among the poor farmers to cope with the disastrous events. The government should spend money on agricultural sector as well as resolving gender issues in rural and urban areas of Pakistan which ensures the food security, proper infrastructure, health care facilities and well-being of the people in order to tackle climate and its adverse effects on our environment.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture organization, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yield on their farms by 20-30% which could raise total agriculture output in developing countries by 2.5-4%. This statement clearly indicates that women play a crucial role in every sector yet their voices are the mostly ignored especially in a country that is
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
GENDER-BASED DISASTER: CLIMATE RISK INSURANCE Hammad Naveed Pakistan is exposed to a variety of natural hazards. The most destructive are cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, floods, and landslides. In 2005, a high magnitude earthquake caused the greatest destruction and loss recorded in the country’s history: 6,700 people died; indirect income losses totaled $576 million; and relief, recovery, and reconstruction cost $5.2 billion. Natural disasters, including reoccurring flooding, pose a major financing challenge. Flooding causes an estimated annual economic impact of 3–4 percent of the federal budget. In 2010, unprecedented flooding affected the entire length of the country, devastating 78 districts and affecting over 20 million people. The impacts of climate change are projected to increase the frequency and severity of these events. In general, women have minimal access than men to
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Hammad Naveed is student of Environmental Sciences and currently doing his research on climate change.
income resources such as land, employment and livestock. In case of any natural event, access to income resources becomes more restricted for both men and women. Natural Disasters affect men and women differently. In many circumstances gender inequalities restrain the influence and control of women and girls over decisions governing their lives as well as their access to resources. Due to prevailing socio-economic conditions, cultural beliefs and outdated practices, women are more likely to be excessively affected by disasters, including increased loss of livelihoods, gender-based violence, and even loss of life during, and in the consequence of, disasters. Insurance is a contract, represented by a policy, in which an individual or entity receives financial protection or compensation against losses from an insurance company.
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Different types of Climate Risk Insurance (CRI)
Macrolevel Insurance At the macro level, entire regions or countries buy insurance in order to be able to fund recovery measures in case of an extreme weather event. As damages are most likely to be significant at the cumulative level, the coverage is often provided directly by a reinsurer. Microlevel Insurance Micro Insurance is specifically designed to protect low-income individuals and households directly against risks in exchange for a regular small fixed payment, where the insured capital is relatively small. One major advantage is that micro Insurance addresses individual policyholders directly, and ideally meets their specific needs, as opposed to indirect insurance schemes on the macro level, where losses are not evaluated and quantified individually.
Low reported demand for CRI among women
There could be several factors leading to less demand of insurance from women such as lack of financial literacy, lack of institutional trust. Adaptive Measures/Recommendations The Gender gap demands global, regional and national level commitment by policymakers
Gender and Climate Risk Insurance (CRI)
At a global level this gap requires to develop and implement gender responsive Climate Finance Strategies and ensure the participation of native women’s groups populations (as directly affected and planned beneficiaries) in the development of such finance strategies and plans. At a national or regional level, stakeholders are to encourage commercial banks and other private sectors to support women.
The main focus is to support the resilience of developing countries and safeguard the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people against the impacts of disasters by enabling faster, more reliable and cost efficient responses to disasters. Among the both genders, women are most exposed to these climatic changes, as discussed below: Women’s & Agricultural sector
Develop capacity building initiatives for various stakeholders
Out of all the sectors, agriculture is considered the sector in which women are most effected and exposed to climate change. It is less possible for women to own agricultural land or property, due to legal and sociocultural barriers in a society. They form a part of labor force and in return receive only a small amount of profit.
Offer training content and pilot projects for the variety of stakeholders, or promote such undertakings with others to share knowledge and technical expertise on targeting women with CRI and collecting and using CRI data for diverse stakeholders at Global & National level. Women face gender-related, social & economic hurdles that bound their capacity to mitigate the impact of climate change and disasters on their lives and livelihoods. Increasing women’s protection under Climate risk insurance will require intentional strategies by diverse Climate Risk Insurance providers from government and the industry and other related stakeholders, to understand these different preferences through survey studies that incorporate specific strategies to consult with women. Furthermore, they can provide incentives for strengthening resilience prior to the disaster and for local community awareness and competence building.
Disasters affecting women Generally, women are more effected by the natural disasters because of direct or indirect interaction with sectors effected by climate change mostly in developing countries. The London School of Economics investigated disasters in 141 countries and initiated that men are likely to receive preferential treatment in rescue efforts. It found that in the outcome of disasters, women and girls suffer more from shortages of food and from the lack of privacy and safety of toilet and bathing facilities, and sleeping arrangement.
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
CLIMATE CHANGE AND WOMEN NEXUS Junaid Ahmed Sohoo Climate Change is one of the greatest concerns of this contemporary world. It has grave implications on those communities who have inconsiderable faculty and strength to cope with perils like urban flooding, typhoons, cyclones and parchedness. If we cast an eye on this plight, we can gauge unequivocally that women are more susceptible to these climatic variations specifically in the South region. Apropos the Indian Government's National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), it is affirmed that with climate change there would be escalating undersupply of indispensable commodity like water, depletion of forest biomass, and prolonged hazards to women who have a higher mortality rate during natural calamities.
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Junaid Ahmed is studying Environmental Engineering from Mehran UET. He has done research on Waste Management.
Moreover, there is authentic research which took place between 1994 and 1996 that women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men amid natural calamities and catastrophes. One of the impeccable cases is the Asian Tsunami where substantial numbers of causalities were of women and under aged children. Likewise, it has been reported too that women in Bangladesh did not abandon their dwellings during heavy flash floods and downpour owing to cultural restrictions on mobility. Beyond any doubt, gender issues have not been contemplated in extensive climate change disquisition and maneuvers. Because, more exercise is focused towards mitigation of this issue rather than adopting adaption mechanism.
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A recent survey of the academic literature demonstrates that there is a paucity of research work into the many gender dimensions of climate change. So, pundits and maestros instead of focusing more on technological solution should peep into social implications of climate change especially on women.
Additionally, a lion’s share of the world’s smallholder farmers are women, and therefore women’s employment is at greater risk from climateassociated crop failure, which threatens to augment poverty as well as poor health consequences. Respiratory and cardiovascular complications associated to poor air quality preferentially influence women owing to higher accumulation of particulate matter in lung tissue and elevated rates of anemia. However, Poor air quality is also associated with negative birth implications and impacts maternal/ child health which is associated with stillbirth and congenital defects. Forced migration and repeated short-distance moves are important for poorer people, as well as for vulnerable groups such as women, who are often eliminated from migration analysis. Following are few solid recommendations to protect women from climatic variations:
Over and above, deprivation of quality education in women is also precarious issue. Because, lower level of schooling and training can minimize their capacity to retrieve crucial information prior to any natural disaster. Therefore, enlightening girls with knowledge results in backing communities become better resilient and robust. It lessens resource compulsion, enhances the prospects of durable progression through towering resource security, specifically in low-income agrarian communities, where up to 80% of the population lean on agriculture for their subsistence. So, quality education of women should be prioritized because the impacts of climate change are not gender neutral and are likely to exacerbate existing gender inequalities in education sector. On the other hand, Women have discrete wellbeing requirements such as nutritional needs amid gestation which places them at risk of affliction from climate-sensitive ailments. Globally, women undergo from soaring rates of anemia and malnutrition and are more susceptible to climatedriven food crisis owing to increased nutritional requirements amid menstruation and childbirth. Anemia is correlated with cognitive disability including poor concentration, declined working memory and poor educational outcomes.
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Ensure Women involvement in climate change deliberations and resource management.
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Inclusion of women in the establishment of policies pertained to resilience and disaster response should be there.
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There should be advancement of gender responsive proposition to climate financing.
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There should be integration of conservation schemes within family planning.
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Provision of resources and enough rehabilitation funding should be provided to women.
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Multi-sectorial Climate Change Gender Action Plan should be pioneered.
CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND GLOBAL WARMING: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Vihren Mitev The bond between human existence and nature is loosen because of the Industrial Revolution. Since early eighteen century people start thinking that they are superior to nature and did not pay attention on the fact that Earth’s resources are finite. Only few people at that time, scientists, become aware of the negative consequences from industrial production and pollution. We will now reveal in brief the history of industrialization and the early signs when it was already clear for humanity that industry as a form of human activity has direct influence to Earth’s geophysics.
coal on industrial scale. Using this invention the world becomes smaller and faster. At this time its population is still less than one billion. A century later the French physicist Joseph Fourier already describes Earth's natural "greenhouse effect" (1824) making way for scientists to predict the effects of industrialization on nature. In 1896 Svante Arrhenius, Swedish chemist, also concludes that industrial-age coal burning will enhance the natural greenhouse effect. His conclusions on the likely size of the "man-made greenhouse" are in the same ballpark - a few degrees Celsius for a doubling of CO2 - as modern-day climate models show. After a century in 1927 carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industrialization reach one billion tonnes per year.
The study starts in 1712 when the British ironmonger Thomas Newcomen invents the first widely used steam engine paving the way for the early start of the Industrial Revolution and the use of
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Vihren Mitev is a Ph.D. Scholar in Philosophical Anthropology at Sofia University . He is author of the Ecological Manifesto.
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At this time human population reaches two billion and it is clear that temperatures had risen over the previous century. Human population growth reaches three billion (1960).
founded (2004). Unfortunately carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industry production reach eight billion tonnes per year. During the same period China overtakes USA as the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter - although USA remains well ahead on a per-capita basis. The year is 2011 when human population reaches seven billion.
First calls for environmental movements are made. According to Arne Naess (Norwegian philosopher) environmentalism emerges as a popular grassroots political movement with the publication of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring where she is criticizing the chemical industry for spreading disinformation as well as the use of pesticides. Soon after in 1970 the Earth Day is born as well as the Limits to Growth (LTG) report based on computer simulation of exponential economic and population growth with a finite supply of resources commissioned by the Club of Rome, and a year later – Greenpeace is founded. In 1975 - human population reaches four billion.
The Paris Agreement COP 21 (2011 - 2015) is signed to deal with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance. The Paris Agreement's long-term goal is to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to limit the increase to 1.5 ° C. This Agreement is the milestone when all countries agree to limit their emissions and to work together for achieving common goals. In line with the predictions saying that in 2070 the number of the human population will be 9.4 billion and the slow change in people’s mentality 76 Nobel laureates raise their voices and endorse the Mainau Declaration stating: “So far we have avoided nuclear war though the threat remains. We believe that our world today faces another threat of comparable magnitude.” (2015). The 2030 Development Agenda titled "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development“ (2015) is also established, the Ecological Manifesto (2017) appears, Greta Thunberg is followed by the global Fridays for Future protests, the socio-political movement Extinction Rebellion is established and in 2019 Finland holds the first presidency of the Council of Europe that brings the topic of climate change in the presidency agenda for a very first time. In 2020 it is expected that The Climate COP in the UK will revise the Paris Agreement and set new goals.
Serious environmental problems reach catastrophic dimensions - the Ozone Layer (1985) becomes existential threat which leads to the signing of the Montreal Protocol and the publication of Our Common Future Report of UN (WCED). Meanwhile human population reaches five billion (1987) and carbon emissions from fossil fuel reach six billion tonnes per year. One year later the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is formed to collate and assess evidences on climate change. In 1990 the IPCC produces First Assessment Report. It concludes that temperatures have risen by 0.3 - 0.6 °C over the last century, that humanity's emissions are adding to the atmosphere's natural complement of greenhouse gases, and also that the addition would be expected to result in warming.
Having all this in mind it becomes clear that the relation between human activity and nature is the same as it always was. People are not superior to nature but on the contrary. The stronger the human activity gets the more visible are the results from it. According to the predictions human population will continue to grow expanding the levels of consumption and use of natural resources, raising the need for housing and food production, all of which results in pollution, energy demands and most frightening of all - threat for Earth’s ecosystem and the future of humanity. In such times immediate change in the mental perception of values and the already globalized world is desperately needed.
In 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, governments agree on the United Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its key objective is "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system". Developed countries agree to return their emissions to 1990. In 1997 the agreement is extended with signing of the Kyoto Protocol. At this time human population is six billion. After almost three centuries since the invention of the steam engine new meaningful efforts for mobilizing action in the fight with global warming appear. After long efforts The Earth Charter (2000) is being created and The European Green Party
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
PLASTIC AIDING CLIMATE CHANGE Amna haq Plastic, a mere 7 letter word that is doing damage greater than our imagination. In 1907, when plastic was invented man thought of it as a blessing since it was cheap, useful and now it’s the world’s worst nightmare. Around 300 million tons of plastic is being produced every year leading to more than 8 million tons of plastic finding its way into the ocean every minute.
useful single use plastic, then we are so wrong. As what goes in the ocean ultimately goes in us. Fish eat plastic we eat that fish thus ultimately leading to bioaccumulation and biomagnification. But this is only the effect plastic has on our food web but what really is the talk of the town is that how this single use plastic is also leading to global climate change. Plastic emit greenhouse gases throughout its lifetime from its production till disposal. Ocean being the major sequester of global heat and CO2 due to its more than 70% coverage of earth’s surface. Ocean currents basically act like a conveyer belt, they transport warm water and precipitation from equator towards the poles, while transporting back cold water from poles to tropics.
When Plastic Enters Ocean All this plastic is without doubt effecting many spheres of our environment be it animals, birds, forest or even the marine life. Many species inducing turtles end up eating those ‘oh so useful’ plastic shoppers and straws and ultimately choke to death. If human think that we are not being affected by this
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Amna Haq is doing BS in Environmental Science, Bahria University, Islamabad. Her goal is to make better environment.
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Thus, ocean by absorbing much of the sun’s radiation, while currents help in regulating global climate, aiding to counteract the uneven distribution of solar radiation and maintaining the overall global climate. But since past few years with massive plastic pollution inhabiting the ocean, this role of ocean is not functioning as well as it used to in past.
plastic under the action of sunlight is degraded into small particles, this also only contribute more towards environmental issues. As, now this microplastic is more easily ingested by marine life causing even greater damage to biodiversity. And removal of microplastic is far more difficult than removing the bigger plastic.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)
Relation to Climate Change?
Out of the five offshore plastic accumulation zone in the oceans, GPGP is the largest zone out there. It is located midway between Hawaii and California.
Now, when ocean’s ability to absorb heat has been reduced due to all this floating plastic the then heat that as supposed to be absorbed by the ocean now remains in the atmosphere. Thus, causing increase in environmental temperature, eventually leading to ‘Global Climate Change’.
The size of this garbage patch has been estimated to be, twice the size of Texas or thrice that of France.
What Can We Do?
The main reason for this patch is that about half of the plastic that enters the ocean is lea dense than water, this means that it won’t sink to the ocean bottom but rather float on the surface. Thus, blocking the ocean’s ability to absorb heat.
What can we do? Now this is a question many ask when such issue is discussed. Although to tackle problem this huge global effort is required. But for a lay man what one can do is reduce plastic at the source. The answer all lies in 3Rs “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”.
Plastic being lighter than water floats on top of water body and the more denser kind settles at the bottom. Making a pitch of plastic whose accumulation only keep on increasing until plastic is broken/ degraded into smaller particle due to from sunlight. This not only reduces the ocean’s ability to absorb the heat as according to CNN around 1.6 million square kilometers of area of pacific is packed with plastic and this size only keeps on increasing. Even when
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Next time before buying plastic shopper, PET bottle or any another disposable plastic material just think for a second and ask yourself this one question, ‘Do I really deserve all this? Is this one plastic shopper really worth the price I’m paying?’ You will then find practical sustainable solution to environmental problems at individual level.
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Mubeena Iram is doing M.Phil. in Environmental Science from GCUF. Her field of interest is protection of Ozone Layer.
OZONE LAYER DEPLETION Mubeena Iram Ozone layer is very small part of the atmosphere (<0.001%) it plays a main role of preventing high energy UV radiation from reaching earth. Ozone is a gas that is naturally present-day in our atmosphere. Because an ozone molecule contains three oxygen Atom it has a chemical formula of O3.
they are exposed to intense UV light in the stratosphere. These compounds contribute to ozone depletion, and are called ozone-depleting substances Cl
+ O3
→ O2 + ClO
Ozone Depletion
ClO
+ O
→ O2 + Cl
When chlorine and bromine atoms interact with ozone in the stratosphere, they destroy ozone molecules. One chlorine atom can abolish over 100,000 ozone molecules before it is removed from the stratosphere. Ozone can be demolished more quickly than it is naturally created.
Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODSs)
CFCl3 + UV → CFCl2 + Cl
• • • • • •
Some compounds release chlorine or bromine when
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CFCs, HCFCs, halons, methyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, and methyl chloroform
CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Various Sources
Total production of CFCs and other ODS continual to grow quickly as new uses were produce for these chemicals in refrigeration, fire suppression, foam insulation, and other uses. Some natural processes, such as large volcanic eruptions, can have an indirect effect on ozone levels. The Antarctic Ozone Hole The ozone hole is defined as the area having less than 220 Dobson Units (DU) of ozone in the above column (i.e., between the ground and space). Beginning in the late 1970s, a large and rapid decrease in total ozone, often by more than 60 percent relative to the global average, has been observed in the springtime (September to November) over Antarctica.
food production and causes disturbance of food chains. Anthropogenic ozone depletion also causes damage of earth’s energy balance and the reasons of climate change. Protective Measures • • • •
use of sun glasses, UV protective clothing, Umbrellas, and sun screen body lotions could reduce the effect of some extent in affected countries.
Montreal Protocol Montreal protocol established to phase out ozone depleting substances (ODS) in a required time frame. Multilateral fund system was initially created in 1990 to financially funding the developing countries to phase out the ODS. Slow Recovery of Ozone Newly study published by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) presented ozone layer exposed the symbols of thickening after years of depletion the size of the ozone hole is now 9.3 million square miles this is reduced than the past years and it is assumed it will be completely recovered by 2070.
Health Effects of UV Radiation (UVR) Exposure to UV radiation causes eye problems, sunburn, premature mature of skin and skin cancer such as cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), commonly affects fair skinned white Caucasian population in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand particularly in Celtic ancestry such as Irish and Welsh, radiation skin cancer is rare in populations high in protective melanin pigmentation such as Africans, Asians. Environmental Impacts Radiations also effects on photosynthesis and kills phytoplankton’s and other plants, and the affects on crop production, fisheries and ultimately the world
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CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
HOW SOLAR CYCLES INFLUENCE CLIMATE CHANGE? Muhammad Taha The Sun and the sunspots play a vital role in determining the level of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface and defining Earth’s climatic patterns. To begin with, what are sunspots? The darker and cooler regions on the Sun’s surface (also known as photosphere) are called sunspots. While the photosphere may have temperature as high as 5800 °K, the sunspots would be about 3800 °K. Sunspots occur temporarily, and appear visibly dark in comparison to their surroundings because of their cooler temperature. The magnetic field is concentrated in the region of sunspots, relative to surrounding areas, which prevents the hot gases from the Sun’s interior rising to its surface, thereby decreasing the temperature in regions of sunspots.
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Taha has done BE in Environmental Engineering, NUST University. His areas of interest are weather forecasts and alerts.
According to NASA scientists, sunspot activity occurs in cycles averaging 11 years. These cycles are known as solar cycles, in which point of highest sunspot activity is known as “solar maximum” while point of lowest sunspot activity is known as “solar minimum”. Since observations began in 1749, we have undergone 23 solar cycles during which sunspots went from minimum to maximum and then to next minimum. Each of these cycles lasted approximately 11 years. Currently, we are in the 24th solar cycle. Reddy and coworkers’ paper of 2016, “Impact Due To Sunspot Activity on Climate Change: Some Salient Results” discusses the “Maunder Minimum” during the cold period of 1645-1715 when there was very little sunspot activity. This period coincided with the “Little Ice Age” that lasted from 1450 to 1820.
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During this period, most parts of Earth, especially North America and Europe, endured extremely cold weather. This study suggested that sunspot number was indicative of solar activity and solar activity was linked to climate. Furthermore, the Sporer and Dalton Minima (periods of very low sunspot activity, similar to Maunder Minimum) also coincided with the period of “Little Ice Age”.
by the correlation of changes in solar irradiance on Earth due to sunspot activity and the increase in greenhouse gases. This research was conducted by Lane and coworkers in 1994, who modeled the combination of changes in solar irradiance and
Direct satellite measurements have shown that higher the number of sunspots, greater the energy delivered to Earth’s atmosphere, leading to higher global temperatures. Recent research reveals that sunspot numbers between the years 1861 and 1989 were directly related to northern hemisphere’s mean temperatures during that period. An even better correlation exists between length of solar cycles and changes in mean global temperature. For instance in 1890, mean global temperature was below the global temperature average by 0.4 °C when solar cycle length was 11.7 years. On the other hand, in 1989, mean global temperature was above the global average by 0.25 °C with a solar cycle length of 9.7 years.
greenhouse gas emissions between 1880 and 1993. The temperature variations predicted by their model accounted for up to 92% of the actual observed temperature changes during the period. More importantly, their results concluded that sensitivity of climate to effects of solar irradiance was 27% higher than sensitivity to change in temperature by greenhouse gases.
According to current studies, number of sunspots increase during times of increased magnetic activity. It leads to discharge of more highly charged particles from the solar surface, causing Sun to emit more UV and visible radiation.
Scientists have found striking similarities between the current solar cycle and the Dalton Minimum that occurred 200 years ago:
The Solar Cycle
•
Increased sunspot number means brighter Sun that not only warms the Earth but also increases the “solar wind” (a stream of charged and extremely energetic particles). The increased solar wind shields Earth’s atmosphere from cosmic rays, which produce secondary particles (such as atomic nuclei) upon impact with Earth’s atmosphere.
• •
Based on these findings, how will Earth’s long-term climate be affected by reduced solar activity? The current cycle (Cycle 24) is behaving very similarly to Dalton Minimum and Cycle 12 that peaked in 1883. Both periods were marked by colder-thanaverage global temperatures. Cycle 12 data holds greater credibility since it is supported by IPCC data. That being the case, it could very well be said that cold times are set to return.
These secondary particles act as condensation nuclei, allowing water vapor to condense around them and form clouds, eventually leading to precipitation. In this case, fewer condensation nuclei will be available, leading to reduced cloud cover and consequently lesser precipitation. On the other hand, reduced sunspot number implies more cosmic rays reaching Earth, hence leading to more condensation nuclei, more cloud cover and consequently higher precipitation.
Researchers have already predicted a mini ice age during 2030 to 2040. If that is the case, are we ready to deal with the new era of climate change? Are we prepared for the cold times ahead? If not, then we are very well headed into a climate crisis!
Over the last century, NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) deduced an average global temperature rise of 0.8 °C. This was best explained
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The third exceptionally weak cycle had a rare high secondary peak than its first when Dalton was reached. Following that cycle, sunspots decreased to zero. The period of zero sunspot activity lasted two years.
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YOUTH CAN MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE BY SAVING FORESTS Pooja Dinani Think; all animals from forest, come and attack on the habitats of humans and begin using livelihood of humans for their welfare. Hopefully, animals will be cursed at the moment by readers. Now, if the situation is reversed, imagine, humans started building their habitats on the place which is already serving as a habitat for animals — Forests — and satisfying their wants by perpetual usage of livelihoods of animals habitats — Forest Resources. Deplorably, the reversed situation is not an imagination, actually this is what humans are doing from years and sadly humans are unaware that in actual their real habitat — Environment — is taking perpetual steps towards demolition — Climate Change — from their irresponsible behavior.
tackled with the forests as forest is a natural solution to all problems caused by climate change and will cause in the time to come. Graphical data view of Pakistan forest cover obviously shows in every single year significant percent of forest land area in Pakistan is being diminished. The scientific thoughts behind eternal declination of forest are • • • • • • •
The threats that climate change possess can easily be
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Pooja Dinani is currently pursuing her Graduation in Environmental Engineering from Mehran UET. She wants to save Environment.
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Deforestation Increasing Population Modern Lifestyle Unawareness of Climate Change Race of being more powerful country Urbanization Improper Management and so on.
CBN Quarterly Magazine (October 2019)
Among all mentioned reasons; if light is thrown on unawareness factor and focus is kept on dealing with this issue may directly or indirectly tackle other issues to some extent. As if people will understand the importance of forest and threats of climate change thereby people will endeavor to take responsible steps towards their real home — Environment.
illiteracy percent. To save environment is not only a duty of an Environmental Engineer; all educated people have to be act lone, like youth of Pakistan. Easy explanation of environmental terms through animated videos is a handy task for Software Engineer which can be done in minutes, but these minutes can save our environment forever. Most of Young generation seems interested in making vlogs on YouTube; by making videos of how and why forests should be saved in their mother language; young generation can encourage and aware their subscribers and this can be the source of earning money. All educated youth of Pakistan has to join their hands in order to increase the number of joining hands.
How Can Youth Mitigate Climate Change by Saving Forests? History has always been shaped by the power of youth Youth is the one who can spread awareness among illiterate population. Single educated person possess enough potential to educate thousands of the uneducated persons about significance of forest and alarming consequence of climate change. Awareness is the activity that can solely be performed by youth in a very creative way as youth is best user of awareness platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, What’s app and Instagram. Virtually 2 billion people use Facebook on daily basis and doubtlessly huge portion of this 2 billion is covered by young generation. Writing , Sharing and tagging of awareness posts can aware millions of people. Young generation tag each other in different memes, if the young generation will tag each other in Environment friendly post, here the endless awareness loop will begin. Through this activity youth can show his responsibility towards environment without leaving his home furthermore, this is the activity which does not ask for money to be started in fact this activity can become the source of earning money.
No doubt, there are many posts available on Social Media regarding protection of environment but still the number is low. In comparison with other posts, the number of Environment related posts is quite low. Nearly all Environment Friendly post are published by Environmental Engineers not by commoners because of unawareness of consequences of climate change. Significant number of population in inclusive of educated people think climate change does not occur, whatever is happening is a part of nature however climate change is fact. Now, this is the duty of youth to awake sleepy humans to fulfill their responsibilities by showing positive attitude towards forests and forests resources.
Lots of Environment Friendly Posts are Already Published on Social Media Still Unawareness is Issue, Why? The main reasons behind this are the English language and complexity of Environmental terms. As the literacy rate in Pakistan is only 58 % furthermore from this percent only certain number of population precisely understand environmental factors. Youth have to be creative and critical thinker; youth have to explain complex terms in very simple and concise manner though Posts in the form of images or videos. Youth of different languages should make posts in his own language in order to educate the people of his surroundings. In most scenarios, on Social Media youth usually tag their friends in posts which are already aware about these things. Youth is supposed to tag their family members and relatives which cover the part of
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“Youth is the one who can realize humans, economy is not greater than environment, humans can not count money by holding their breath.” 52
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Qaswa Hamail has done Masters in Environmental Sciences. Her interests are national and global environmental issues.
CARBON SINKS: HOW MUCH THEY CAN TAKE? Qaswa Hamail It is a well-known fact that all the forests and oceans of the world are carbon regulators or carbon sinks. They tend to absorb carbon dioxide - a common GHG- from atmosphere and store (sequester) in them. This is called carbon sequestration. But with increasing population and rapid industrialization, these carbon sinks are being reduced with a fast pace. The natural sinks are very important as they sequester about 55 % of carbon dioxide independently.
adding carbon dioxide at a much faster rate, as it is being removed by natural sources. This is in turn causing load or burden on the atmosphere which in turn is causing global warming every year and hence, Climate Change! According to a new international study led by the US Forest Service, global forests are responsible for taking up about 2.4 billion tons of carbon each year, which turns out to be about one third of all global fossil fuel emissions.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Eighty percent of the forests that originally covered the earth have been cleared, fragmented, or otherwise degradedâ&#x20AC;? (Forest Frontier Regions, World Resources Institute).
Generally speaking, the global oceans absorb another 30 percent of human carbon emissions, although how cold the water is, and how well surface water mixes with the deep ocean influences how much each ocean can absorb.
Overtime, researchers have shown that from anthropogenic sources i.e. burning of fossil fuels are
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As said earlier, despite removing one half of manmade GHG sources, another major half still resides in the atmosphere, which might be out of the capacity of these natural sinks. With the passage of time, some global changes e.g. 1998 El Nino or tropical droughts of 2005, the forests reduced by great deal. Following are some key factors which results in reduced forest sink: • • • • •
implemented.
As for oceans, low carbon emission is required to conserve the health and sequestration capacity. • Plastic pollution in oceans is a big threat to ocean life. It needs to be seriously taken care of by respective bodies. • Need to change to Cleaner fuels, so as to reduce the GHG emissions in the atmosphere. •
Forests fires/wildfires Insect outbreak/ infestation Stunted tee growth Excessive deforestation Land clearances for industrial/ agricultural purposes
Carbon Sponges •
Currently, every one of us is aware of the Amazon Forest fires which has been a matter of serious discussion. Amazon rainforest are considered as Earth’s lungs with and is responsible for producing 20% of Earth’s oxygen.
•
The constant burning has produced spikes in the levels of Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, as captured by the satellites of NASA and Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. It is estimated that over 906 thousand hectares (CBS News. August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019). Several Environmental NGOs have raised their voice internationally to address this issue. France has lead this case on serious bases and this issue has been raised to UN Secretary for taking action. Huge environmental load has been created and large carbon resource is at stake. Pakistan is in top rankings in deforestation rate in Asian countries. According to WWF report, only 2.5% of countries’ land is covered with forest. It further reveals that almost 61,000 hectares of forests have been cleared out since 1947. If continued with the same rate, Pakistan will be out of its forests in next 50 years. In general, Le Quéré says research suggests that if the ocean and forest sinks can't keep pace with rising greenhouse gas emissions, then the extra carbon staying in the atmosphere could increase warming by 5 to 30 percent more than if the sinks keep absorbing at their current rate. As for the ocean sinks, excessive CO2 has impacted ocean’s chemistry, thermo-haline circulation (salt and temperature), disturbed biota, increased storm intensity and rising sea level. All these factors are effecting carbon sequestration capacity of oceans greatly.
• •
•
If tree plantation programmers go as planned, there could be enough time for the people to change the trend from fossil fuels towards cleaner fuels. Griscom, B. W. et al., 2017 said that, forests and other carbon sinks can provide 1/3rd of total CO2 reductions and can keep global warming temperature below 2 °C through to 2030.. Serious political considerations are required to implement local and international environmental policies. Carbon taxes and carbon pricing is seriously required to be implemented. Reforestations, coastal management and strong checks on waste disposal in oceans is need of hour. Above all- Every single individual needs to OWN their Environment. IT is not a responsibility of certain Government or NGOs rather it is of every single person living there.
We as persons need to OWN our Environment and Resources. It is the call for our Survival!!
What Can be Done to Save Carbon Sinks? To counter the problem of changing climate and carbon sinks, viable approaches are needed to be
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NORMAN FAIRCLOUGH’S MODEL: SPEECH MYTHIFYING CLIMATE CHANGE Ameer Ali Critical discourse analysis works as an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that has been abundantly used by climate change scholars since the late 1990s. Critical discourse analysis actually takes into consideration the way ideologies operate in language that construct the mythified discourse of climate change. Norman Fairclough’s model analyses the role of texts, discursive practice, and social practices in the formulation of discourse. Similarly, it is language that is employed by climate change skeptics to claim the mythification of climate change. Since the construction of this discourse really by passes the phenomenal reality of climate crisis, it is highly essential to expose the hidden agendas and ideologies of this type of discursive construction by using Fairclough’s model of critical
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Ameer Ali is Research Scholar at University of Sindh, Jamshoro. His interests are political and ideological contexts of environment.
discourse analysis. Furthermore, this current write up is in fact delimited to the American President’s speech (2017) in which he has deliberately made use of selective language to assert the myth of environmental changes. This area of research is highly contributive to the studies of climate change, as critical discourse brings to light all the mechanisms used by powerful politicians to safeguard their interests through the use of language. Moreover, their speeches also pave the way for the formulation of policies, so using the above given model will also reveal the claims of the interestoriented speeches and thereby the common people will be able to resist the discursive practices by manifesting the reality of climate change.
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“…the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, but begin negotiations to re-enter, either the Paris Accord or a really entirely new transaction on terms that are fair to the United States, its businesses, its workers, its people, its taxpayers.”
misrepresenting a much broader, planetary level loss caused by the climate change and global warming. Trump discusses the important issue of job losses, but he deliberately ignores the most important issue of planet loss; the temporary, communalistic interests are overwhelming the long term global interests. This approach clearly reveals short term nationalism of Trump. So, Trump’s construction of discourse is actually subordinate to American business interests that show no any tinge of care for planetary emergency.
Trump’s above statement incorporates selective, textual construction, discursive practice and social practice as discussed by Fairclough in his threetiered-model. He has purposively used the clauses, such as ‘the United States will withdraw’, ‘terms that are fair to the United States’, to represent interests of the American super rich class at the cost of planet earth’s future. The clauses have actually been chosen to represent the Republican narrative that asserts that climate change is nothing but a myth constructed by the Chinese to counter the American manufacturing
“I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.” Trump’s nationalist fervor to exclude climate change as a regional issue continues in the above statement. Here, Trump shows that he has been put in to a powerful position by Pittsburgh, which metaphorically means the Americans, while Paris stands for the rest of the world. So, being an American President, Trump has power to represent the Americans. Thus, he means to imply that every American believes in the mythification of climate change, while in fact many an American is of the opinion that climate change is a serious threat to our collective home, earth. So, Trump must also assimilate the concerns of those Americans who share the most feared apprehensions of the climate issues. To reduce the threat of climate change, the world’s leaders must start thinking by taking in to consideration the future of mankind. Moreover, if a ruler does not recognize the existential threat of climate change, the common people should critically deconstruct his statements or speeches and expose the hidden ideologies that prevent the issue of climate change from coming to the surface of discourse. Once we have made climate change a part of our daily discourses and canon discourses it will create consent among world’s people about the most serious issue of changes occurring rapidly in our climatic patterns. But one should be on guard that no politician makes use of climate issues merely to gain political support. In this regard, the field of critical discourse is highly important which should be made an integral part of climate studies so that climate issues may not be politicized. Finally, the American President’s speech, as studied from Fairclough’s power discourse perspective, disregards deliberately the reality of climate change and links it with economic stand stillness. It is highly recommended that the issue of climate change must be associated, apolitically, with the safe and secure future of mankind. In this way, mankind can survive by cooperating with each other.
industries. So, Trump thinks of interests that must accrue to business man, taxpayers and the rich American citizens. The mechanisms of power discourse are clearly noticeable in this case. Trump is actually advocating the nationalistic narrative of America by supporting the American interests, whereas the other side of truth that is excluded by Trump’s speech mechanisms is that interests are never national they are specific to a rich class More importantly, Trump’s disregard for the climate change is quite deliberate as it will challenge the American industrial greed. This failure of recognizing the reality of climate change will entail the policies that would ultimately plunge the world into a pit of extinction. Apart from discursive manipulation of business profits, Trump is also relying on nationalistically populist discourse by making climate change look a less important issue. The selection of the titular phrase ‘the Paris Accord’ and its association with loss of jobs and collapse of industries is a discursive strategy that places the issue of climate change at the heart of economic loss. This economic loss discourse is actually
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PAKISTANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STATUS AT VNR â&#x20AC;&#x201C; HLPF 2019: 4th ANNIVERSARY OF SDGs Siddiqa Soomro World after facing many devastations and serious consequences of its selfish attitude towards nature and its resources that, it is providing to the livings on earth. Now the world realizes the need of sustainable approaches towards development so that the future generations can also avail and enjoy nature and other countless blessings on the planet earth. Therefore, in September 2000, at UN Headquarters the millennium Summit introduces eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agenda by 2015.
Development, with 17 SDGs at its core, at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. 2015 was a landmark year for international policy shaping, with the adoption of SDGs that is transforming our world. All 193 member states are expected, at least once, to review national progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals and present the report to the United Nations High Level Political Forum. This process is called a Voluntary National Review and is part of Agenda 2030. It involves both developed, least developed and developing countries to take part in this path. Pakistan issued its report on July 2018, outlining achievements and challenges related to SDGs implementation.
General Assembly in January 2015 initiates intervention on the post 2015 development agenda. In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process on the post-2015 development agenda. The process concluded in the successive adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
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Siddiqa Soomro is about to graduate in Environmental Engineering and doing her Research on Air and Noise Pollution.
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Monitoring and evaluation
Pakistan was scheduled to present its voluntary National Review at the 2019 session of the UN High -level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July.
Regulated monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs framework is a priority. Baselines and targets for all SDG indicators have been determined since 2018.
Key Messages of Pakistan’s VNR – HLPF 2019
Review of SDG 13 progress, achievements and future plans
Political commitment, institutional readiness – partnerships to scale-up
One of the sustainable development goals being reviewed in detail and depth is Goal 13, which is climate action. It needs urgent action for adaptation and mitigation and other possible measures. Pakistan is fairly low on carbon footprint scale relatively to other countries in the region.
Pakistan in spite of being developing country takes keen interest in following the path of SDG’s. The country is adopting the SDGs into its national development agenda in February 2016. Pakistan was first such country to do so.
Status of globally agreed sustainable development goals
Ambitious plans to alleviate poverty Key focus is the commitment to poverty. A national poverty reduction initiative named “Ehsaas” has been launched to enable social protection, safety nets and support human capital development across the country.
The adoption of the 2030 Agenda was a victory for international cooperation, but most of all for the world’s people. Let countries re-energize and refocus their response to the Sustainable Development Goals and supporting the most vulnerable countries that are furthest from this path. “The pressures of the era are mounting; the trust that binds the world is fraying.
Committed to eliminating hunger and improving health Reductions in malnutrition have taken place from 2013 to 2018 by 6 and 9 %. Observing the continuous challenge, greater focus and allocation of resources is being made. From commitment to actionprotection and climate change
What we should do as a responsible Global Citizen
Above all, as a global citizen every individual should must play a part for this path that is the best reward anyone can give to his mother soil, this can be fulfilled when everyone is aware of their responsibilities and ethics and this is possible only when each and every global citizen will be educated.
environmental
The country is only thirty-first in terms of global emitters, it is the seventh most affected by the fallout of climate change. There are adverse impacts that the country is facing right now. Country has adopted mitigation Climate adaptation has become a forced reality for Pakistan. Over 350,000 hectares in Pakistan’s Billion Tree plantation program was the first Bonn Challenge pledge to hit and surpass its commitment, through national resources.
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challenges,
The HLPF of the future should truly be a forum for the people of the world to come to together and celebrate progress, have more honest discussions on progress, and be more inclusive of civil society, entrepreneurs, and innovators at the frontlines of implementation.
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The ClimAct News How big was the global climate strike? 4 million people, activists estimate. It was likely the largest climate protest in world history. The Global Climate Strikes, inspired by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, age 16, may end up being the largest mass protest for action on global warming in history. The exact number of participants worldwide will be hard to get. But the event was truly global and astonishingly well organized: There were over 2,500 events scheduled in over 163 countries on all seven continents.
Amazon fires: what will happen if they keep burning? The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world, and may be home to a quarter of the Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land-bound species. If it keeps burning, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likely to turn into a completely different ecosystem, with fewer trees and different species of plants and animals. Many trees will die, and animals will lose their habitat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some species might disappear from the area entirely. There were around 85,000 fires identified in the Amazon this year which indicates that it is a huge loss to natural biodiversity.
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The ClimAct News The UN Climate Action Summit was a disappointment The largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world — China, the United States, and India — offered either nothing or very little about their commitments to curb emissions at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Even after one of the largest environmental protests ever in more than 150 countries and speech from Greta Thunberg, the commitments from other big emitters still fell short of the level necessary to hit the IPCC’s target of limiting global warming to 2 °C .
Greta Thunberg Awarded 'Alternative Nobel' for Climate Change Activism Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg was named one of the 2019 recipients of the Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize,” days after imploring world leaders to take the threat of climate change more seriously. She received prize from Stockholm-based Right Livelihood Foundation after the Nobel Foundation rejected a proposal to create an environmental prize for “inspiring demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts.”
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The ClimAct News Advisor to Chief Minister of Sindh , Murtaza Wahab Visited KATI Murtaza Wahab discussed about industries at Korangi Association of Trade & Industry (KATI) and said that maintaining cleanliness in city is basic responsibility of city administration. Head of KATIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standing Committee on Environment Saleem-uz-Zaman said that with collaboration of federal government, 7 effluent treatment plants for industrial waste water have approved and collectively both governments had issued 4.5 bn rupees for the project.
Vehicle inspection to help save Environment The launch of the Vehiclesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Inspection and Certification System (VICS) by the Punjab Transport Department is a praiseworthy initiative which will help provide safe and environment-friendly transport facility to the people. Twenty-six VICS stations have been activated in Lahore and other districts where more than 89,000 vehicles have been inspected. An organized system has been devised to deal with various issues, including bus fare, overloading, route permit and fitness certification.
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The ClimAct News Sindh govt to impose fine on smoking while driving Sindh Government has decided to introduce new traffic rules which include imposing a fine on smoking cigarettes while driving. The culprit would be fined the first three times, after which the license will be suspended. The current Prime Minister, Imran Khan had approved the imposition of tax on cigarettes It appears the government is striving to move towards a healthier environment but the question of strict implementation looms in the air.
Heatwaves Arrival and Insects Invasion in Karachi and Hyderabad, Sindh After flies attack in Karachi now Grasshoppers & white flies attacks been reported in Karachi and Hyderabad. Due to increase in temperature & change in wind direction, these bugs are spreading in Karachi and Hyderabad areas. Reasons: • • • •
It is due to the heavy rainfall and sudden increase in greenery; Temperature of the lower Sindh is now suitable for growth of these bugs; Change in wind directions; and Breeding grounds based on the lush green areas which were not available before rainfall.
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fact that â&#x20AC;&#x153;What our environment is demanding from us and
what can we do to combat with climate change?â&#x20AC;? Answering this question, CBN has established a platform where potential Policy Makers, Scientists, Professionals, Activists and Youth may gather and put their creative ideas on The ClimAct
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