seminar on Sustainable Consumption and Production- Choices for a Living Planet

Speakers at a seminar on Sustainable Consumption and Production- Choices for a Living Planet emphasized the need to conserving the ecosystem as living habits of the mankind disrupt the life on planet. The seminar was organized by Institute of Agri. & Resource Economics, UAF in collaboration with WWF on Friday at New Senate Hall. The speakers including UAF VC Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Senior Director WWF-Pakistan, Arif Hameed Makhdom Director, Sustainable Agriculture Program, WWF-Pakistan, Asad Imran Senior Manager, Sustainable Agriculture program, WWF-Pakistan, and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq Director, Institute of Agriculture and Resource Economics were of the view that As a consequence the improvement in quality of life and change in consumer habits has put natural resources under increasing strain. UAF VC Prof. Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan urged the need of conserving the nature by regulating the life in accordance with the global requirements and commitments adding that we can no longer assume that our collective actions will not trigger tipping points as environmental thresholds are breached, risking irreversible damage to both ecosystems and human communities. He said that by 2030 we will need to supply the world with 50 percent more food, 30 percent more water and 45 percent more energy, a position that our natural environment will find impossible to sustain. He said world was facing the challenge of feeding rapidly growing population by observing environmental protection measures. He was of the view that global warming and climate change have forced scientific community to revamp agronomic strategies keeping in view fulfilling the needs of agro-ecological zones. We can, he said, create a prosperous future that provides food, water and energy for the 9 or perhaps 10 billion people who will be sharing the planet in 2050. Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Senior Director WWF Pakistan said we can produce the food we need without expanding the footprint of agriculture without destroying more forest, or using more water or chemicals. He maintained that solutions lie in such areas as reducing waste, which now claims much of the food we grow using better seeds and better cultivation techniques, bringing degraded lands back into production; and changing diets – particularly by lowering meat consumption in high income countries. He added that we can ensure there is enough water for our needs and also conserve the healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands from which it comes. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq, Director Institute of Agriculture and Resource Economics in his welcome address said UAF is perusing its internationalization in order to enhance the standard of education and research in accordance with international standards in harmonized manner. He said many initiatives have been taken in this regard during last five years. Arif Hameed Makhdom Director, Sustainable Agriculture Program, WWF-Pakistan, Asad Imran Senior Manager, Sustainable Agriculture Program, WWF-Pakistan, and others also spoke on the occasion.