- Envoy says it works with climate vulnerable communities in Britain.
- “We are not only facing a climate crisis, but also a natural crisis,” he says.
- He speaks at the “60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year” exhibition.
British deputy head of mission Martin Dawson said on Friday that if Pakistan does not take urgent action to limit the impact of climate change, it could suffer losses of up to $1.2 trillion by 2050 .
Speaking at the launching ceremony of the ’60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ exhibition at the British Council Karachi on Friday, the envoy said the damage caused by climate change on lives and livelihoods was immeasurable.
“To adapt to the effects of climate change, climate finance is essential,” Dawson said at the event hosted by the Natural History Museum in London.
In this regard, he said, the United Kingdom recently launched its Climate Finance Program, which would help mobilize half a billion people in climate finance and invest in new technologies, business models and solutions. climate-friendly private sector.
Through its climate programs, he said, the UK government has helped more than 1.5 million people increase their resilience to extreme weather events.
“We are working with climate-vulnerable communities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to help them improve their water systems.”
This is the first time that photo exhibitions of “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” are being held in Pakistan. After Karachi, a similar exhibition would be held in Lahore.
Supported by the Natural History Museum, London, it is the oldest and most prestigious competition of its kind and has received around 60,000 entries in its 60th year.
Each year, 100 wildlife photographs are selected for their originality, storytelling and demonstration of ethical practice.
The competition was founded in 1965 for the BBC Wildlife Magazine, then called Animals. The competition showcases the best in nature photography and is used to empower people who want to protect the planet.
“This competition and these photographs remind us of the beauty in the world and that we must protect it. It’s a mission that is close to the UK’s heart,” Dawson said.
He said the UK government led the Darwin Initiative, a grants program which helped conserve biodiversity around the world and support communities who live alongside biodiversity-rich areas through locally-led projects . He added that the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund was another UK government-backed initiative aimed at protecting biodiversity.
He said that globally, these initiatives had prevented the destruction of more than 400,000 hectares of ecosystems. “And we protect 2.7 million hectares of land through sustainable management practices.”
The British envoy remarked that no other country could have been a better place to celebrate and showcase wildlife photography than Pakistan.
“From the snow leopard that roams the north of the country to the hog deer here in Sindh, Pakistan’s biodiversity is breathtaking, but it is also under threat,” he said.
Once widespread in swampy areas and rivers of Sindh’s forests, he said, the hog deer has now lost much of its habitat to flooding. “And even though they were once the kings of the mountains, there are only 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild,” he noted, adding that it had been estimated that only 200 to 400 leopards snowshoes, which were otherwise known to survive harsh conditions, were left behind in Pakistan.
“Their fur, bones and other body parts are highly sought after in the illegal wildlife trade. Additionally, their homes are being destroyed by construction, agriculture, rising temperatures and extreme weather,” Dawson said.
Pakistan’s biodiversity, he said, has declined by 69% over the past 50 years, between 1970 and 2022, while Karachi’s coastline saw 200 hectares of mangrove forests disappear between 2010 and 2022 alone. “We are not only facing a climate crisis, but also a natural crisis,” he said.