The temperature will rise to 2.8 C by 2070 that can result in decreasing wheat productivity by 14 percent and rice by 17 percent in rice-wheat cropping zone. It was echoed at the seminar on ‘impact of climate changes’ at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
Addressing on the occasion, the UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan stressed upon the need to take the adaptive measures to address the issue. The climate changes had started playing havoc with the lives of the people in the shape of heavy floods, shrinking water resources and weather changes that are responsible for a loss of billions of rupees to the national economy. He said that if we don’t take the adaptive measures, the farming community could face cut their income due to low productivity that will rise the poverty. He said that amid the challenges, it is a matter of concern that in the summer season, the rainfall can rise to 25 percent whereas in winter it would reduce to 12 percent. He said forests are being shaved off just to earn money. Factories and industries are churning out huge amounts of carbon dioxide from their chimneys, dissolving poison in the air whereas rivers are being polluted by all kinds of waste material.
Dean Faculty of Agriculture Dr Riaz Ahmad said that climate change are causing extreme temperatures that is resulting in flooding and drought. He said impact of increasing mercury levels, damage to the ozone layer and melting glaciers were causing food insecurity and reduced income of farmers. He said that it would further worsen the lives of people. He said we should make consolidated efforts to sustain populations in the face of a hostile planet.
Prof Dr Ashfaq Ahmad Chatha said that heat, rice and cotton are major crops in Pakistan which are grown in different agro-ecological zones of Pakistan. Each zone represents diverse soil, social, hydrological and climatic conditions. The overall goal of the arranged by AgMip project is the analysis of historic/current climate, as well as crop and economic data to determine the trends of climate change in the region and its likely impact on crop productivity and the economy. Prof Dr Muhammad Ashfaq stressed upon the need to introduce early warning system, re-define agro metrological zone and adopt other mitigating measures to face the situation.