Minister admits authorities were late in their response     ISLAMABAD   -   The monsoon rains have created a national food security challenge for Pakistan inundating a vast area of the country and impacting the GDP to a considerable extent. “The recent floods have swept away land equivalent to size of the UK,” said Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman during her concluding remarks at the COP in My City Summit organised by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with UNICEF. She said, “A large population is seeking shelter and food, but we were late in our response since such unprecedented rainfalls were not expected. We are using all of our resources but they are not enough in the face of this crisis.” The minister stressed that climate discussions and discourse among the youth will prove fruitful in preparing the future generations to make endeavor for a sustainable, green future. Appreciating the efforts of youth partaking in climate debate, the federal minister remarked, “It is so exciting to see the youth geared up for upcoming COP27 where the issues of reducing emissions, loss and damage and addressing the triple planetary crisis which is pollution, loss of biodiversity and climate change will be discussed. Discussing the current flood situation in the country, Minister Rehman said, “Our fellow Pakistanis are mired down in the greatest floods Pakistan has ever seen. These floods are unprecedented and have adversely impacted a huge number of population. She said, “We need to do disaster risk mapping since our risks have changed overnight. We need to map the country for new risks and new shocks”. She said, “They have repurposed our climate grants for immediate relief. People on land have lost everything and are looking up at the merciless sky as it either rains or casts a hot sun.”