The Embassy of Pakistan in France and the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, along with environmentalist and filmmaker Luc Hardy, organized an event “Glacial Shift Unveiling Pakistan Unique Climate Challenge at UNESCO Headquarters.
A documentary “Ice Giants Discovering the Karakorum” produced by Luc Hardy & directed by Bertrand Delapierre on Pakistan magnificent glaciers & the way those icy giants were responding to global warming was premiered. It was followed by an interactive panel discussion comprising renowned experts in the field including Valerie Masson-Delmottee, paléoclimatologist, Patrick Wagnon, glaciologist, Fanny Brun, glaciologist together with Luc Hardy & moderated by famous journalist Francois Carrel.
The event was attended by a large audience from all walks of life, including Permanent Delegates and Ambassadors, the climate change experts, environmentalists, mountaineering enthusiasts, researchers, think tanks, students, media & general public.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador/Permanent Delegate Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that the purpose of the event was to raise awareness about the impact of global warming on glaciers and to identify concrete steps to safeguard these icy giants for future generations. He noted that glaciers across the globe were retreating in every region – from Alaska to Europe to Andes to Asia – with severe consequences consequences for populations and ecosystems, and aggravating the risk of natural disasters and food security. While many glaciers in the Karakoram were behaving differently in gaining mass, known as the Karakoram Anomaly, the threat posed by global warming was real and imminent, that required committed and collective response of the international community for effective fulfillment and implementation of the climate obligations.
Editor: Kamran Raja