ISLAMABAD, May 16: Pakistan is among the most vulnerable countries facing climate-related risks revealed an Asia-Pacific Human Development report launched here on Wednesday.

The report further suggested the Asia-Pacific region must continue to grow economically to lift millions out of poverty but it must also respond to changes in climate to survive.

“Growing first and cleaning up later is no longer an option”, advised the report titled ‘One Planet to Share: Sustaining Human Progress in a Changing Climate.’

The publication was aimed at reinvigorating climate change dialogue by bringing people’s concerns to the fore in the lead up to the Rio +20 conference.

“What happens in this region – which is home to more than half the world’s population and half of the planet’s mega cities – can make a global difference,” the report claimed and added that countries of the developing Asia-Pacific were much less locked into the old, carbon-intensive ways of production and consumption.

The report argued that in the face of climate change, countries in Asia and the Pacific “will need to change the way they manufacture goods, raise crops and livestock, and generate energy.”

This would mean “moving to greener, more resilient, lower emission options that not only sustain the environment but also offer opportunities to the poor for employment and income”.

The ceremony was chaired by Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Mohammad Javed Malik. Talking to the media persons, he reiterated the recommendations of the strategic documents and said they must be translated into concrete action and should form an integral part of the human development agenda in Pakistan. W hile presenting the findings of the report, Toshihiro Tanaka, Country Director UNDP said: “Asia-Pacific region including Pakistan needs to walk a tightrope between the pursuit of economic growth and vulnerability to climate change.

“We are witnessing increasing frequency and impact of climate-related disasters as disaster risk reduction is a must for any sustainable development strategy to be successful.”

At the launch, a presentation on Pakistan’s National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) was shared.

Also presented at the launch was the much-awaited National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) which was recently approved by the federal cabinet. The policy provides a framework to address the issues Pakistan faces vis-à-vis the phenomenon of climate change and suggests ways and means to adapt to and mitigate the ravages posed by climate change.

In his remarks, Timo Pakala, UN’s Resident Coordinator congratulated Pakistan for preparing the NSDS and NCCP. “These two documents are testimonials of the commitment of the federal and provincial governments for promoting sustainable growth and address the effects of climate change in Pakistan,” he remarked.