Symposium on Climate Change Risk and Human Security, HEC NRPU Project
Climate change risk remains a major impediment to human security in Punjab, depicts the outcome of Symposium on Climate Change Risk and Human Security: A Study of Selected Districts of Punjab, held on 22 November, 2022 at Fatima Jinnah Women University. The symposium was based on HEC funded NRPU Project awarded to project team at Department of Economics. Symposium was moderated by Ms. Khudeeja Nadeem, student of BS Economics.
Prof. Dr. Bushra Yasmin, Project PI, welcomed the guests and presented the project overview. She elaborated that project is grounded on people’s perception-based measure of climate change and offers wider information on exposure, sensitivity and adaptability of household towards climate change risk. The project helped in suggesting indigenous policy solutions and providing rationale for introducing awareness campaigns to help people in developing resilience and to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on human security. She expressed her hope that project findings and outcome of awareness campaign would be long-lasting and fruitful in guiding stake holders to take effective measures to tackle the climate change risk at community level. She expressed her gratitude to Higher Education Commission for project funding with the hope that HEC would keep supporting such research endeavors of the universities in filling the academia-industry and policy makers’ gap.
This was followed by the display of an introductory video of the project. The project Co-PIs, Ms. Iffat Irshad and Ms. Sadia Sherbaz presented the methodology and findings of research project and explained climate change risk has consistently negatively significant impact on human security and all its constituents. Though the adaptation has significant impact on human security, the level of adaptation is quite low when compared to the levels of exposure and sensitivity to climate change.
Distinguished Guest speaker of the day, Ms. Afia Salam, Environmental Journalist & Member of National Climate Change Council addressed the audience regarding Climate Change Research: Need of the Hour. Ms. Salam discussed that climate change risk is not considered as an important factor affecting human security until recently. She appreciated the efforts of project team in carrying out evidence based research on the pertinent issues. She further expanded that without the complimentary role of government in terms of strengthening institutions, improving governance and community engagement the mitigation and adaptation to climate change risk related adversities would remain elusive.
Guest of honour, Prof. Dr. Shaheena Ayub Bhatti, Director WRRC, FJWU distributed the souvenirs among guests and participants at the end of ceremony.
