Voice of climate-by Naseem Sheikh

The Lahore city and its surroundings continued to experience intermittent  heavy rain , which turned the weather pleasant after a months-long spell of heat .A total 252 millimeters of rain has been recorded in the city in the last 24 hours. However, the rain is still continuing to lash Lahore among other cities across Punjab. Pakistan heavy monsoon rain fall broke 38 years record and hopefully help in compensate the severe water shortage, lower mercury level and dry conditions. The country was facing worst water crisis since there have been no ‘good’ showers in the last five months along with two to three degree higher than normal temperatures. Mercury level at Lahore was first time hit to 50C . because of that dry  weather spell, dams around Islamabad were in critical situation. Therefore, the monsoon rains are being considered as a way out for addressing the current water scarcity situation. On Thursday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said this ...

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation, 2.2% or about 1,687,000 ha of Pakistan is forested. Pakistan has 340,000 ha of planted forest. And that has been declining rapidly.  Between 1990 and 2010, Pakistan lost an average of 42,000 ha or 1.66% per year. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Pakistan lost 33.2% of its forest cover or around 840,000 ha. Pakistan's forests contain 213 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass. It boasts  some 1027 known species of amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles according to figures from the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Of these, 3.5% are endemic, meaning they exist in no other country, and 5.5% are threatened. Pakistan is home to at least 4950 species of vascular plants, of which 7.5% are endemic. 4.0% of Pakistan is protected under IUCN categories I-V. Khurshid Ahmed, an environmentalist from Peshawar University, says most of the logs illegally cut from Pakistan's forests have be...

IS CO2 main culprit of global warming or not? Recently this is very debatable topic, one group says CO2 is a normal gas like hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen and not a reason of recent global warming but there is group of believers that admit CO2 as culpable and I am believer of second group. To satisfies them I have a small logical reason as in our surrounding we have a large number of nutrients but not all of equal importance, few are micro and other are macro similarly their ratio in our diet matters a lot. If one exceed its normal limit cause in ill factor of body functioning. Similarly CO2 is main culprit for causing global warming due to presence of carbon which is main building block of nature and nature believes on balance of every thing. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a slightly toxic, odourless, colourless gas with a slightly pungent, acid taste. it is currently occurring at an average concentration of about 390 parts per million by volume or 591 parts per millio...

Throughout 2011 we have seen  some of the extreme weather effects of climate change stinging. Global warming means killer storms more worse than Katrina and Gustav, unexpected flooding in Asia, drought in Eastern Europe, unseasonal heavy rains in western Africa. These events  have also reduced crop yields, further hampering the chances of relief. 2012 will also be the first year in which the world has had 7 billion mouths to feed throughout all 12 months. But drought in Eastern Europe this winter has affected the grain harvest raising prices and lowering hopes for famine relief in Africa. Global warming is causing the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas. In the short term, this means increased risk of flooding, erosion, mudslides and GLOF in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and north India during the wet season. Because the melting of snow coincides with the summer monsoon season, any intensification of the monsoon and/or increase in melting is likely to contribute to flood d...

hopes for better climate As stated, Pakistan is one of the lowest contributors to this global problem but, nevertheless, it has played a leading role in trying to formulate global consensus in addressing this issue demanding collective cooperation. Also, the country is cognizant of its development priorities and is actively seeking both, financial and technological support, to place its undeniable future growth on to a low carbon trajectory. Global deforestation and degradation had a negative role towards climate change for which initiatives such as Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) was important as an alleviation response to climate change. The United Nation Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC) was adopted in 1992 and Pakistan was one of its signatory along with 194 other nations. The study, by researchers at the University of California, Merced, concluded that rising temperatures associated with climate change could result in many more severe f...

The United Nations has launched the Decade on Biodiversity with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urging humanity to live in harmony with nature and to preserve and properly manage its riches for the prosperity of current and future generations. It is now widely recognized that climate change and biodiversity are interconnected. Biodiversity is affected by climate change, with negative consequences for human well-being, but biodiversity, through the ecosystem services it supports, also makes an important contribution to both climate-change mitigation and adaptation. After extended negotiations in Durban , the 194 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed on a package of decisions, known as the Durban Platform, which include the launch of a protocol or legal instrument that would apply to all members, a second commitment period for the existing Kyoto Protocol and the launch of the Green Climate Fund. The 194 countries negotia...