ISLAMABAD: Some of Pakistan’s top thinkers lined up to speak about how climate change affects Pakistan and what can be done about it at an exclusive TEDxSalon event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The theme of the TEDxSalon, ‘On thin ice’, was climate change, and it was organized in the run up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21 to be held in Paris in December 2015.
“Pakistan is third on the Global Climate Risk Index, and faces devastating glacial melting, heat waves, flooding and drought,” said UNDP Country Director Marc-André Franche. “As these events grow more frequent and intense, it is essential that we all work together to mitigate and adapt to climate change and to build resilience. Quick, effective action is needed by the Government of Pakistan, the public and private sectors, and by all Pakistanis.”
The speakers included Helga Ahmad, Aisha Khan, Jeremy Higgs, Umer Adnan and Adil Najam, and talked about successful adaptation methods, innovative green energy efficient technologies, renewable energy systems proven successful in Pakistan, and shared their personal stories and commitment to the cause.
The event received an overwhelming response; 1000 people registered, of whom 180 were selected to attend. The ambassadors of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Afghanistan, and the High Commissioner of Canada were also present. It concluded with a mime performance by students of the National University of Sciences and Technology.
In the run up to Paris COP21, UNDP Pakistan helped the Government of Pakistan update its Sustainable Development Strategy, review the country’s climate commitments, and prepare project concepts for the Green Climate Fund. The TedX event is part of a series of ongoing discussions in public forums to create awareness about the changing climate and its impacts, and why COP21 meeting is significant for Pakistan.
