{"id":57502,"date":"2024-02-07T21:34:05","date_gmt":"2024-02-07T21:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/punjab-farmers-want-climate-change-action-not-words\/"},"modified":"2024-02-07T21:34:05","modified_gmt":"2024-02-07T21:34:05","slug":"punjab-farmers-want-climate-change-action-not-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/punjab-farmers-want-climate-change-action-not-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Punjab farmers want climate change action \u2014 not words"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<p>Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist, says parties&#8217; election manifestos neglected the economic effects of climate change.<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>PAKPATTAN: Tending to his wilting wheat crop after months of drought and smog, Pakistani farmer Aamer Hayat Bhandara said his biggest hope for Thursday\u2019s election is that whoever wins makes good on a flurry of campaign promises to tackle climate change.<\/p>\n<p>The two frontrunners \u2014 PML-N and the PPP \u2014 have both proposed similar climate policies in their manifestos, highlighting growing concern about the effects of global warming after devastating 2022 floods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe smog and absence of rain for three consecutive months robbed crops of sunlight \u2026 and caused rust &#8211; or fungal infection \u2014 on wheat,\u201d said Bhandara, 38, a farmer in Punjab province and co-founder of the Agriculture Republic think-tank, which represents small- and medium-scale farmers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1799425\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>He said changing climate patterns had shortened winters and stretched summers, with heatwaves impacting his rice and corn crops, while untimely rains and hailstorms have battered his wheat harvests.<\/p>\n<p>That made the parties\u2019 promises for climate action &#8211; from boosting renewable energy to investing in early warning systems for floods and heatwaves &#8211;   welcome reading for him and other farmers at the sharp end of climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pledges are wonderful,\u201d Bhandara said. \u201cHeightened climate action not   only holds the potential to ease economic pressures but also to generate   employment opportunities.\u201d He added, however, that \u201cthe crux of the challenge is to translate these policies into action\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Pakistan produces less than 1% of the world\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions, but ranks 8th among countries most vulnerable to extreme weather linked to climate change, according to the latest edition of the Global Climate Risk Index.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1724134\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The floods in 2022 killed more than 1,700 people, displaced 8 million and destroyed about a million homes and livelihoods across the country of 220   million \u2014 fuelling calls for the government to prioritise the fight against climate change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Climate \u2018front and centre\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Outlining his party\u2019s plans to overhaul Pakistan\u2019s development model to stabilise its troubled economy, PPP leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1808230\">told<\/a> <em>Reuters<\/em> this month his strategy would put \u201cthe threat of climate change front and centre\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>He said the PPP also aims to ensure global funds exceeding $10 billion pledged last year to help Pakistan rebound from the floods are used to fight climate change.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1808230\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Similarly, the PMLN has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1809059\">vowed<\/a> to use the funds to implement the Resilient   Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework, dubbed 4RF, a recovery strategy to build long-term climate resilience and adaptation developed with international organisations.<\/p>\n<p>The party\u2019s proposals also include strict enforcement of environmental protection laws, upgrading brick kilns to fight air pollution, and planting native tree species to curb the use of fertilisers, reduce soil erosion and save water, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Party president Shehbaz Sharif has described climate change as a   \u201cdevelopment, economic, human and national security issue\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Economists warn that a lack of adequate measures to fight the effects of climate change could deal another blow to a cash-strapped economy already grappling with historic inflation and an unstable rupee currency.<\/p>\n<p>A 2022 World Bank report highlighted Pakistan\u2019s staggering financial requirements to combat climate-induced disasters, estimating a $300 billion gap in available funds.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1715257\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Without urgent action, climate change could shave off one-fifth of GDP, it said.<\/p>\n<p>But Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist, said the frontrunners\u2019 election manifestos neglected the economic effects of climate change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe transformative effects that (the) climate crisis brings to our economy such as the effects on the market economy of agriculture, coastal resources,   energy, forestry, tourism, and water are overlooked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities often fail to implement their policies, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClimate governance necessitates a tailored, province-specific approach rather than a federal, one-size-fits-all strategy,\u201d Alam said by phone from the city of Lahore.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media  sm:w-1\/2  w-full  media--right  media--embed  media--uneven\">\n<p>    <iframe class=\"nk-iframe\" onload=\"setInterval(()=&gt;{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)\" width=\"100%\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"height:400px;position:relative\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/card\/1809424\" sandbox=\"allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Others have voiced concern that the party manifestos pay scant attention to communities displaced by climate-related disasters or those in climate hotspots including low-lying coastal areas and mountainous regions threatened by glacial melting.<\/p>\n<p>But environmental activists and farmers have broadly welcomed the focus on climate issues for the first time in this year\u2019s election campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Lahore-based climate activist Mawra Muzaffar said she had seen progress in   Sindh province under the PPP that showed what could be achieved &#8211; from growing mangroves to importing electric buses.<\/p>\n<p>The PML-N\u2019s vows to boost the use of clean energy in agriculture through solar panels are realistic and feasible, she said.<\/p>\n<p><em>Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>Header image: A labourer walks past cotton crops damaged by flood waters at Sammu Khan Bhanbro village in Sukkur. \u2014 AFP<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ahmad Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist, says parties&#8217; election manifestos neglected the economic effects of climate change. PAKPATTAN: Tending to his wilting wheat crop after months of drought and smog, Pakistani farmer Aamer Hayat Bhandara said his biggest hope for Thursday\u2019s election is that whoever wins makes good on a flurry of campaign [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.dawn.com\/thumbnail\/2024\/02\/07114818a23dae8.jpg?r=115055","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57502\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}