Islamabad
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Sunday said World Bank and Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC) would jointly conduct a three-month study on Pakistan’s ocean waters for assessment of carbons sequestered by the country’s ocean waters and mangroves forests. A detailed blueprint has been hatched up to assess economic value of millions of tons of carbons stored in ocean waters and mangroves in the country, said a press release issued here.
The study would not only help identify the scale of Pakistan’s ocean waters’ carbon storage potential but also help weigh up the amount of carbons storage capacity of the country’s entire ocean eco-system as well as the carbons stored so far in the ocean waters and coastal mangroves forests,” Malik Amin Aslam said. While talking to media here on Sunday, Pakistan Blue Carbon and Eco-system Assessment Strategy has been agreed upon between the world bank and ministry of Climate Change.
He told media that “we believe the country’s ocean waters have stored carbons into them so far, of which economic value is estimated at billions of dollars”. Recalling Pakistan’s win in a case regarding seabed territory, the PM’s aide said the country’s seabed territory expanded by around 50,000 square kilometres in year 2015 after a UN body accepted Islamabad’s claim for extension of sea limits.
“On 19 March 2015, United Nations’ Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) had completed its review and accepted Pakistan’s claim for extension of its continental shelf limits, thereby extending Pakistan’s sea limits from 200 nautical miles to 350.—APP
