Academia urged to suggest steps against climate change.

HARIPUR -- State minister for climate change Zartaj Gul on Thursday asked academia and researchers to suggest concrete measures against global warming for action by the authorities.

She was addressing the three-day international conference on 'climate-resilient smart soil management' at the University of Haripur here, where researchers, teachers and scientists from different parts of the country and abroad, vice-chancellors of different universities, and students were in attendance.

Discussing land degradation, theminister said Pakistan was rich in natural resources but during the last 25 years, semi-arid zones had become arid zones, deserts had expanded, and agricultural land was fast turning into arid zones but little work had been done by policymakers to address the problem.

She said the country had more than 5,000 registered scientistsand experts and so many departments and thousands of students but what they're doing when the agricultural land was turning into arid zone.

The minister said wheat production had dropped by 16 per cent, while the number of cotton bales produced in the country had also halved due to the 'knowledge gap among growers, academia and previous governments'.

Haripur varsity holds moot on 'climate-resilient smart soil'

She said the government was vigilant, while its cabinet members were responsive towards climate change and were sincere about adopt policies and knowledge once shared by the scientists.

The minister said the government was striving to increase the country's forest cover.

'We are...