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A climate change authority

114 0
02.04.2024

Climate change and global warming are no longer buzzwords. They have emerged as clear indicators of an impending crisis that threatens the very fabric of global societies, economies, and food systems.

The year 2023 stands as a testament to this escalating challenge, having been recorded as the warmest year globally. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights a concerning 1.1-degree Celsius increase in global temperatures from pre-industrial levels, setting us on a path toward a 1.5-degree Celsius rise by 2030 if current trends persist unchecked.

The repercussions of this warming are felt most acutely in the developing world, where agriculture forms the backbone of livelihoods for over 80 per cent of the population. The World Bank warns of a grim future where climate change could plunge an additional 100 million people into the depths of extreme poverty by 2030. Smallholder farmers, in particular, face the brunt of this crisis, with potential yield losses of up to 50 per cent in critical staples crops such as rice and maize.

This dire situation is further compounded by the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) report of a 29 per cent increase in climate-related disasters over the last decade, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable segments of society in developing countries.

Pakistan serves as a poignant case study of the destructive capabilities of climate change, particularly exemplified by the devastating superfloods of 2022, which impacted over 33 million people. Such calamities are not mere anomalies or isolated incidents but indicators of a systemic shift toward more unpredictable climate patterns, characterized by rising temperatures and the retreat of essential glaciers. The economic toll of these environmental upheavals is staggering, with predictions of an 18-20 per cent reduction in Pakistan's GDP by 2050 due to climate-related challenges. The agricultural sector, a lynchpin of the national economy, faces significant risks, with........

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