USAID HESSA, Pakistan Climate Resilience Research Coordination Network
Keeping in view the incredible challenges that are being driven in many ways by climate change, HESSA provided a forum November 30 to December 2, 2022 for dialog about climate change as part of its International Summit on Higher Education and Workforce Development in the 21st Century.
In response to forum, HESSA organized the Pakistan Climate Research Coordination Network (Pak-Climate RCN) with the goal to advance the capability of researchers to co-produce science-to-action interdisciplinary research, education and workforce development that improves climate adaptation and resilience in Pakistan. Dr. Nausheen Mazhar, Chairperson Geography Department and Head International Resource Center, DFDI, LCWU, was nominated from LCWU to be a part of this RCN, on the basis of her association with the field of climate change for the past 13 years. Her research has remained focused on climate change and its impacts on cryosphere, agriculture, surface hydrology etc. She had the honor to be the contributing author, and represented Pakistan in IPCC’s (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change), 6th Assessment Report, and she is also serving as Member Panel of Experts, for Punjab Climate Change Policy, being prepared by Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department, Govt. of Punjab.
The kickstart meeting of HESSA RCN was held in NUST from 12-14 July 2023, and since then Dr. Nausheen Mazhar has remained connected with HESSA.
After this training, Dr. Nausheen incorporated latest research techniques related to climate change in her teaching and research, with her perspective now shifting to climatic modelling and use of remotely sensed datasets. In her department she introduced specialized courses at graduate and post graduate level on climate change, and worked on creating an Industrial Advisory Board for her subject, with special focus on representation from all government agencies working on climate. She worked on capacity building at national level, by organizing and participating in various events.
She organized international seminar on “Climate Resilient Development: Insights from Drylands, Highlands, and Islands” upon her arrival from the HESSA RCN training, in July 2023, where significance of climate resilient development was highlighted by Director YESI University of York, UK.
York Environmental Sustainability Institute
Later, Dr. Nausheen continued to propagate the word and presented the case of climatic impacts on power production through an international seminar "Geo-Spatial Assessment of Water Quality and Sedimentation Trends for Sustainable Power Production in Tarbela Reservoir, Pakistan" which was delivered by her in University of Paris, France in September 2023, as a part of her PERIDOT research project mobility grant.
As a Climate Activist she has been invited as a keynote speaker at various events nationally and internationally, where she has been spreading the word regarding Climate Awareness and her latest research findings in this domain. Since RCN training, she has propagated the case of climate change at Forman Christian College Lahore, Agricultural Engineering Department, Bahauddin Zikriya University Multan, APWA College, CIMR Punjab University, FAST etc. She also spoke about Pakistan’s Climate and Desertification issues at the prestigious platform of Oxford University in 2023.
Another international Seminar was held at LCWU, by Dr. Nausheen to highlight the impacts of changing climate on the sedimentation trends of Tarbela reservoir, having impacts on sustainable power generation in Dec 2023, as a part of her PERIDOT research project mobility grant.
Continuing her dedication towards HESSA RCN, Dr. Nausheen moderated the 3rd webinar of the series of Research Coordination Network of Climate Resilience in Pakistan, established under USAID's HESSA project. The webinar theme was "Climate change and the Drylands of Punjab".
Taking a further leap in her Climate Activism, Dr. Nausheen again served as a Speaker in the TEDxLCWU Countdown 2023 Event! Her talk was on the topic "From being Climate Insensitive to Climate Conscious". The talk was a sum of her 13 years dedicated research and teaching in the areas of #climatechange.
She has contributed towards Punjab Climate Change Policy draft and worked on the addition of gender perspective in the draft of the policy, during the “Consultative Session/Policy Dialogue regarding Punjab Climate Change Policy", held at the Women Development Department, on 27-12-23.
A moment of pride was on 27 Feb 2024, when Dr. Nausheen Mazhar, attended as a Member Panel of Experts of Punjab Climate Change Policy, in the Consultative Session on "Draft Punjab Climate Change Policy". The event was held in Aiwan e Iqbal Complex and was organised by Strategic Planning and Implementation Unit, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Department, GoP. Dr. Nausheen and other esteemed panellists were there in the pre launch Consultation session of Punjab Climate Change Policy, to answer queries and address suggestions of various governmental and non governmental key stakeholders, who attended the event.
Later she continued to represent LCWU in the "Climate Resilient Development Planning for Provincial Government Officers (Punjab)” held on 1st March 2024, organized by Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre.
Her advocacy for highlighting the climate challenges at national and international level continues and her activities as HESSA RCN member also thrive as she applied for joint project grants related to climate change, based on same interdisciplinary approach, that was propagated in the RCN kickstart meeting in July 2023.
