Written by Michelle Reeves, Four Green Steps

Pakistan presented a new strategy plan at a side-event at the Rio+20 conference in Rio last month. Entitled the National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS), the plan is said to be rooted in science, technology and innovation and is linked to the country’s climate adaptation strategy.

Pakistan has been hit by a series of devastating natural disasters in the past ten years, including two floods, three cyclones and a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. This plan, which is said to be cleared by government by the end of July, will help steer the country towards sustainable economic growth.

Concretely, it is a “green action agenda” that would create a knowledge management system that could classify all innovations and advances to lead to stronger sustainability in the future.

In the past three years, Pakistan has seen a 2.6% decrease in its economic growth and natural resources are constantly stressed by serious inefficiencies in agriculture and the energy and water sectors. Other challenges include high population growth, rapid urbanization, little enforcement of environmental regulation and a growing number of internally displaced citizens.

Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, CEO of the organization Leadership for Environment and Development, describes Pakistan as being “at the apex of climate vulnerability in Asia.”

The NSDS hopes to help reach important economic, environmental and social goals through academic research and foster innovations for policy, information gathering and technological development. Though the details are not finalized, the project is expected to draw in donors from the private sectors by being in accord with the UN millennium development goals and the suggested sustainable development goals.

The cost of adapting to future climate impacts is estimated at 14 billion dollars each year for the next 40 years, according to the NSDS document. “Most of Pakistan’s landmass is vulnerable to extreme events and they will need investments in adaptive capacity,” said Anjum Assad Amin, a member of Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority.

As the strategy document explains, there is a vital link between climate impacts and being able to sustain the future development of the country. The main climate goals right now include disaster risk reduction and management, vulnerability mapping, community-based adaptation, sustainable land management and building a climate resilient infrastructure.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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