Taking 1st World Problems and exporting them to 3rd world sh*tholes developing countries. This is from the Express Tribune, a part of the International NY Times
LAHORE: Experts, academics, government officials and civil society activists discussed Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change on the second day of Pakistan sey Paris. The two major areas of concern discussed were the impact of climate change on the agriculture sector and water scarcity.
“Earlier, the optimal season for growing wheat used to be October. Now it has crossed mid-November,†University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmed Khan observed while discussing the impact of changing weather patterns. Khan said two major changes had impacted crops’ growth cycle. He said these were a rise in temperature and the erratic behaviour of precipitation.
Obviously, before Mankind started using fossil fuels and air conditioning, the climate was completely and utterly stable. Here’s the money quote
“The level of existing knowledge about climate change in Pakistan is appalling,†United Nations Development Programme Country Director Marc-Andre Franche said. Franche said while the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in the Northern Areas was a great initiative, it would also increase truck movement that would lead to environmental degradation. He stressed the need to maintain a balance between development and the environment saying, “When it comes to developmental choices, Pakistan is still making choices of the ’50s and ’60s while the world happens to be in 2015,†Franche said.
Climate change is one of the last things Pakistan needs to be worrying about, what with all the issues such as the 26th highest infant mortality rate, high infant underweight rate, high poverty rate, high infectious disease rate, low education rate, high use of drugs, having drugs being trafficked through the country, low education rate for girls, treating women like chattel, human trafficking, and many others. Plus that whole Islamic terrorism thing.
He stressed the need to promote climate literacy saying it was not restricted to having more experts on the issue but also about enlightening government officials across the board. He said it was important to have officials who could think green when making decisions irrespective of their area of expertise.
Right. That’s what Pakistani governmental officials really need to worry about.
