Sindh to introduce climate change subject in universities

KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to introduce climate change awareness as a separate subject of formal teaching in all universities across the province, ARY News reported.

According to details, Sindh Minister for Universities and Environment Ismail Rahoo directed Secretary Universities and all Vice Chancellors (VCs) to introduce climate change awareness as a separate subject.

In a statement, Ismail Rahoo pointed out that the province was experiencing high temperature and drought, stressing the need to provide information about climate change to students in universities.

The provincial minister further said that Pakistan was the seventh most vulnerable country in the world to global warming, adding that it was imperative to aware the future generation about the crisis.

Last year, World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) for Pakistan reported that risks of extreme climate change-induced events, environmental degradation, and air pollution are projected to reduce Pakistan’s GDP by at least 18 to 20% by 2050.

The world bank report said that Climate change-induced disasters could significantly set back Pakistan’s development ambitions and its ability to reduce poverty.

According to the World Bank Group’s Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) for Pakistan, the country needs fundamental shifts in its development path and policies to foster people-centric climate adaptation and resilience.

Pakistan has suffered from a climate change-induced heatwave, followed by devastating and outstanding floods that caused more than 1,700 deaths and displaced more than 8 million people. The destructive effects on infrastructure, assets, crops, and livestock have also been massive, with over 33 million people affected across the country and more than $30 billion in damages and economic losses, the report added.

Combined risks of extreme climate-related events, environmental degradation, and air pollution are projected to reduce Pakistan’s GDP by at least 18 to 20% by 2050, the report stated.