We are All Connected
There is a lot of talk about natural catastrophes due to climate change, but what is climate change and who is one of the major contributor to the problem? Climate change is caused by global warming, which is the increase in the temperature of the atmosphere. The increased greenhouse gases contributed by anthropogenic activities are at the base of this discussion. The finger we keep pointing at other factors is going to come towards us.
Global warming and greenhouse effect, are two terms that every school kid is introduced to. Greenhouse gases are a group of compounds that are able to trap heat, raising the overall temperature of Earth. The basic compounds include: methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. The greenhouse effect is a natural process, however when man-made activities releases more of these greenhouses gases that the negative impacts emerges.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) highlights the broad guidelines for the protection of the climate of the planet. Its adoption took place in 1992 and the policies were enforced in 1994. Pakistan became a signatory of UNFCCC in 1992 and it was ratified in June 1994. Under UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol looks at mitigation of climate change so that solutions can be implemented that will help reverse the pace of climate change; and promote the carbon sequestration and carbon credits i.e. Certified Emission Reduction (CER) trading. The Protocol was adopted in 1997 and came into force in 2005; Pakistan signed the Protocol in December 1997 and ratified it in January 2005.
The irony of the matter is that countries that are the major contributors of the access amount of greenhouse gases are still not the signatories of the Kyoto Protocol. It is the developing countries who even though are not the key contributors of this issue but face the impact of the issue are the ones who signed it. When it comes to Pakistan we too come in the group of developing countries that despite being the low contributors are facing the devastating results of climate change, ranging from water and food shortage, floods and droughts. In addition to these we have a backlash on the economic front as well. Being the signatories of the Koyto Protocol we are unable to make use of some of our resources and technologies. In addition to the shortage of resources and economic impacts that we are facing there are the issues of health as well.
A knee jerk reaction to all of this is to start the blame game and the same old developed verses the developing countries debate. Though there are many valid points but these blanket debates are not going to result in practical and sustainable solutions and we are running out of time. We are all connected and in order for sustainable growth we will have to put aside our tribal instincts and learn to work together. There is no other way forward. This disparity between the developed and the developing countries is going to increase with the addition of the consequences of climate change and then there is going to come a point when the developed countries are going to feel the backlash of this situation. The stakes are too high to ignore!
Fatima Arif is Senior Officer Social Media, WWF-Pakistan.
