What happened: On Aug 26, a writer named Tazeen wrote on her Twitter handle that Pakistan has 7,253 glaciers, the highest number outside the polar regions, “Global warming is melting them at an alarming rate causing flash floods in northern areas of the country. The country sadly has no workable climate change policy to deal with it.”
Pakistan has 7,253 glaciers, the highest number outside the polar regions. Global warming is melting them at an alarming rate causing flash floods in northern areas of the country. The country sadly has no workable climate change policy to deal with it.
— Tazeen (@tazeen) August 26, 2022
Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman took notice of the tweet and stated that they do have a policy and it’s called ‘Adaptation,’ “GLOF are growing because of global warming,not anything Pakistan is doing or not doing frankly. Our global GHG emission is too low, under one percent, so even if we go totally zero or green it won’t stop our glaciers or the Alps from melting.”
We do. It’s called Adaptation. GLOF are growing because of global warming,not anything Pakistan is doing or not doing frankly. Our global GHG emission is too low, under one percent, so even if we go totally zero or green it won’t stop the our glaciers or the Alps from melting.
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) August 26, 2022
It’s not about emissions, & the tweet doesn’t say that; it’s about unsustainable construction, a lack of appropriate infrastructure, & a clear disaster management strategy. This should not be seen as an attack on your ministry but on the mismanagement of several govts over years.
— Nida Kirmani (@NidaKirmani) August 26, 2022
Tazeen’s tweet was originally to point out the government’s poor planning yet the climate minister defended it by ‘blaming it’ on global warming. Dr. Kirmani suggested Senator Sherry to not see this as an attack on her ministry but on the mismanagement of several govts over years. The minister once again started to go on about how Glacial melt in the Himalayas is more about emissions, “Very different issue from poor planning, land use, unchecked development, among many other assaults on the environment,” she added.