Comprehensive strategy to address climatic issues needed
By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD—The three day Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) moot concluded here on Friday, unanimously stressing the need for devising a comprehensive policy to address climatic issues. The 23rd conference of Pakistan Society of Development Economists on “Environment and Natural Resources Management,” was convened to provide forum for professionals, economists, social scientists and policy makers to share their ideas on vital economic and social issues facing Pakistan.
“Pakistan will be adversely affected by climatic change in the years to come and there is dire need that a comprehensive strategy is devised to overcome this,” PIDE Vive Chancellor, Rashid Amjad said while talking to APP at the concluding session.
He said that 70 per cent of the country’s population was directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture sector adding that impact of climatic would have disastrous consequences on this sector.
“The conference participants agreed that only if policy action is initiated at higher level that would enable us overcome the challenges of climatic change,” he added. He said that the forests of the country were also declining with every passing day adding that PIDE in collaboration with National Training Bureau will launch a project to look at the role of local governments for preservation of forests.
He also stressed the need for setting up a high level commission to address the climatic issues and examine the economic impact of climatic changes. He said that the Commission should be headed by Prime Minister with members from ministries, concerned departments and provincial governments and offered that Pakistan Institute of Development Sciences (PIDE) could serve as its secretariat.
Dr Amjad was of the view that a global holistic, integrated, consultative and coordinated approach was needed to control the threats faced by all the countries. He said that it was the responsibility of economists and not spine doctors to work and guide the country to meet the challenges by adopting an objective economic strategy for economic uplift of the country.
The 23rd conference of Pakistan Society of Development Economists on “Environment and Natural Resources Management,” was convened to provide forum for professionals, economists, social scientists and policy makers to share their ideas on vital economic and social issues facing Pakistan.