RAWALPINDI: The academic Council of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) Monday approved establishment of Climate Change Department under the Institute of Geo-Information and Earth Observation.
This was decided in 55th meeting of the academic council held here under the chairmanship of Prof Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor (VC) PMAS-AAUR. Senior Faculty members, teaching heads, librarian, Registrar, Deans of Faculties, Directors of institutes and Controller Examination also attended the meeting.
Chairing the meeting, the VC said that strong academic section plays a vital role to give acknowledgement and peculiarity to any university or educational institution and it is considered as the back bone of a university.
While talking about importance of climate, he said that in Pakistan, currently there is lack of scientific research in the field of climate change and the climate change department will be very helpful to address the national demands of agriculture-based economy which is under stress due to climate change and extreme weather events.
He stressed the need to promote climate change awareness not only for decision makers and young intelligentsia of Pakistan but also for end-users like farmers and general public to contribute to socio-economic development of the country.
He was of the opinion to initiate climate smart agriculture in order to achieve sustainable National Food Security and environmental sustainability.
The department will offer undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs in the field of climate change with a research focus on global warming, Locating water stress areas, Analyzing Carbon sequestration by plant biomass, Climate Modeling, Drought Monitoring, Understanding and monitoring extreme weather events and implementing international policies for mitigating climate change in Pakistan.
The department would provide a broad foundation of science-based skills, particularly in areas relating to climate protection and management. It will act as linchpin of research coordination between various faculties and institutes of the university for better understanding of climate change, its impacts and adaptation as key research responsibilities of PMAS-AAUR.
The department will also focus on Climate Change quantification in terms of agriculture production, precipitation anomalies, effects of temperature changes on food security and environment impact assessment of climate change.