Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Thursday called for a cultural shift in society to make climate change a mainstream public issue, saying discussions on environmental challenges should receive the same attention on social media as viral and controversial content.
Addressing the International Conference on Green Journalism, Media, Climate and Social Responsibility, organised by FUUAST in collaboration with OIC COMSTECH, the minister said climate change remained one of the most serious challenges facing humanity and that awareness was the first and most essential step towards addressing it.
Paying tribute to COMSTECH and the organisers of the conference, Tarar said the event had been held at a crucial time and reflected an understanding of the importance of climate awareness and green journalism.
“It all starts with awareness,” he said, adding that without awareness, societies could neither meet the challenge of climate change nor take precautionary measures and create the enabling environment required to combat it.
Describing climate change as an existential threat to humanity, the minister referred to World Health Organization estimates and said that between 2030 and 2050 climate change could result in 250,000 deaths annually.
He noted that Pakistan contributed less than one per cent of global carbon emissions but remained among the countries most severely affected by climate-related disasters.
“It is time that when we talk about climate change, we must talk about climate justice,” he said, arguing that countries with greater contributions to fossil fuel combustion and carbon emissions bore a larger responsibility towards nations contributing less to the problem.
Recalling the devastating floods of 2022, Tarar said widespread destruction had been witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, while the country had also experienced the massive flooding of the Indus River in 2010.
“Every few years lives are lost, livelihoods are lost, and people suffer, and due to no fault of their own,” he remarked.
The minister said awareness campaigns must be tailored to different communities and regions, noting that climate communication could not follow a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
Referring to Article 6 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, he said member states were obligated not only to raise awareness but also to incorporate climate change into educational programmes and curricula at national, regional and sub-regional levels.
Tarar stressed the need to communicate climate-related messages in different languages and through multiple modes of communication to reach people from all segments of society. He also linked environmental stewardship with Islamic teachings, saying Islam had highlighted the importance of protecting the environment 1,400 years ago.
Quoting a verse from the Holy Quran regarding the sky as a protective ceiling, he said the message underscored humanity’s responsibility not to ignore the signs and consequences of environmental degradation.
The minister also cited sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) encouraging tree plantation and environmental responsibility.