PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif very rightly and emphatically raised the issue of climate change at the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, as there is no issue bigger than this one faced by humanity today and there is a need to tackle it effectively through collective efforts.
Addressing the summit, the Prime Minister called for saving future generations by devising a sustainable plan to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change.
He appealed to the SCO to stand up and build a wall against this threat. Given the unprecedented devastation caused by floods in Pakistan as well as the drought affecting several parts of Europe, this issue really warrants urgent actions on the part of international community.
It is time to act now before it is too late. Already we have played havoc with environment by pursuing development without caring for eco-system.
This issue has not cropped up overnight but human activities over the last many decades have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.
To reverse this or bring improvement in the environment will also require a lot of effort, especially a united front.
It is really important that this issue is taken up at every regional and international forum to find a solution to it.
As regards SCO, it is a very important regional forum because of the presence of countries like China and Russia as well as the Central Asian States.
Together the member countries can achieve a lot and make significant progress in dealing with the issue of climate change which in fact can also serve as an example for the rest of the world.
PM Shehbaz Sharif’s statement calling for a sustainable plan of action should be given serious consideration and the member countries should work on it.
We will rather suggest that the SCO countries should form a joint working group comprising experts which should work on finding solutions to this most pressing issue.
Both nature and technology based solutions need to be considered to bring down global warming.
