ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday urged collective action to address climate change and protect natural resources, highlighting Pakistan’s vulnerability to increasingly severe weather patterns in a message marking International Mother Earth Day.
Observed annually on April 22, International Mother Earth Day was institutionalized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 to raise awareness about environmental protection and promote harmony with nature amid growing global concerns over climate change and ecological degradation.
“The Earth’s natural resources are the guarantors of human life and development,” Sharif said in a message issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. “The planet sustains plant and animal life and nurtures all forms of living beings.”
He said the planet was facing multiple environmental challenges, particularly climate change, which was affecting ecosystems, weather patterns and quality of life.
Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change and has in recent years experienced increasingly erratic weather patterns, including extreme rainfall, floods and heatwaves that have exposed gaps in disaster preparedness.
The country is still recovering from catastrophic floods in 2022 that killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, while last year’s monsoon season also triggered widespread flooding, killing more than 900 people.
“The government of Pakistan is striving to protect natural resources, flora and the environment, and to address climate change, including by promoting renewable energy,” Sharif said.
He called on citizens to renew their commitment to environmental protection to ensure a healthier future for coming generations.
