Parliamentarians the world over have been asked to play their crucial role in offsetting the disastrous effects of climate change, which turns out to be the biggest threat to humans in the ongoing century.

This was emphasized by Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf during a speech at the ‘Third Inter-Parliamentary Union Regional Seminar on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals for Parliaments of Asia-Pacific’, according to WealthPK.

He highlighted the vulnerability of Pakistan to catastrophic effects of climate change, which was amply evident from the monstrous flooding caused by the monumental torrential rains. He said Pakistan was one of the very few countries worst hit by the climate change effects despite the fact that it contributed even less than one percentage point to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Pervaiz Ashraf said the continuous flooding and deluges in Pakistan in the aftermath of over 600% more rains than normal in some areas had taken lives of about 1,400 people, rendered over 30 million people homeless, and caused the country cumulative losses of over $30 billion. He said communication infrastructure and the livestock sector were the worst hit, stressing the need for the participants of the event to highlight this phenomenal challenge of the 21st century.

He said the climate change phenomenon had hit almost the entire world with the Europe facing one of the worst droughts in centuries, while heat waves in China had scorched its hydel sources and looming flooding threatened the residents of the US state of Mississippi.

The National Assembly speaker pointed to a visit of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to flood-stricken regions of Pakistan, and highlighted the world body chief’s impassioned calls for the world powers to move swiftly on their goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide relief to Pakistan in rehabilitating its displaced populations and restoring the battered infrastructure.

He stressed that it was the utmost duty of the Pakistan parliamentarians to make every effort to ensure fast-paced rescue, rehabilitation and rebuilding in the flood-hit areas.

The parliamentarian said in the wake of the seminar that Pakistan would be able to carry out reassessment of its policies and strategies on how to achieve the SDGs by the close of this decade, keeping in view especially the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic on the country’s socioeconomic landscape.

He said Pakistan’s National Assembly, as a responsible member of the Inter Parliamentary Union, would play its due role to uphold and further strengthen the democratic traditions in the Asia Pacific Region and work on putting in place such mechanisms to realise the SDGs within the deadline.

Pervaiz Ashraf said parliamentarians ensured that whatever tools available with them were used to the maximum for the benefit of people, especially the most vulnerable.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk