Environment degradation: Afridi passes the buck to NGOs
Environment degradation: Afridi passes the buck to NGOs
* Minister says productivity of foreign-funded NGOs remains invisible
* Minister says productivity of foreign-funded NGOs remains invisible
By Atif Khan
ISLMABAD: Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi on Thursday told NGOs to practically contribute towards making the country pollution-free.“NGOs have been criticising the government for not doing enough, but we have to see what is their contribution? They are funded heavily by international donors but their productivity mostly remains invisible,” said the minister, addressing a seminar, held to mark the World Environment Day.Afridi’s comments came in reaction to criticism from NGO representatives, who delivered fiery speeches, lambasting the performance of government and stating that it had failed to address environmental problems.He admitted that the environment was being degraded but called for collective measures and a practical approach to solve the problem.He announced that 2009 would be welcomed as ‘Year of Environment’. He said the government had taken many steps to offset Rs 365 billion cost of environmental degradation, which meant Rs 1 billion a day.He said these steps included issuance of commemorative stamps, holding international conferences, exhibitions and launching national programmes for protection and conservation of environment in line with national environment, energy conservation and sanitation policies.Weather change: “Global warming and climate change are now regarded as the greatest challenge facing the world. Average global temperatures are increasing, mainly as a result of an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere”, Afridi said. Quoting a UN report, the minister said a rise of 2-4.5 degrees centigrade had been predicted in the world temperature, which would lead to associated changes in precipitation, glacier melting, sea level rise, high frequency of floods, droughts, cyclones etc. He said Pakistan had signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2005. “Pakistan is cognizant of its responsibilities and has taken appropriate measures to protect the environment. To achieve this goal, the government has framed a national environment and energy conservation policy,” he said.Afridi said agricultural productivity had been affected by changes in land and water disposition. He said arid and semi-arid areas had become most vulnerable and could put the country’s food security at risk.He invited civil society, media and other segments of society to guide the government in drawing right policies and their implementation. CDA building improper landfill: Civil society and media representatives told the minister that the CDA and Pak-EPA were going to construct a landfill at Kuri despite serious objections from environmental experts, local residents and Pakistan Metrological Department.The minister assured them that the landfill would not be built if flaws were proved in its design. UN message: Martin Mogwanja read out a message of the UN secretary-general on behalf of the UN resident coordinator in Pakistan, Fikret Akcura.He said developed countries used coal and oil excessively to boost their industries and less developed countries followed them though they used charcoal also. Martin said valuable forests were being felled increasingly and cash crops were preferred to food crops to meet the growing demand for bio-fuels. He said ecosystem was being damaged; low-lying cities faced inundation; fertile land was turning desert and weather patterns were becoming more unpredictable. He said this climate change would not only hit the poor but also the richest nations. He said, “We should become part of solution, not problem.”
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