Karachi: The Federal Ministry of Climate Change is pushing to launch Pakistan’s first dedicated Green University to train specialists in climate science, environmental policy and adaptation, but the Higher Education Commission has still not approved the proposal even after three months, Federal Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Malik said on Saturday.
Speaking to Vitals News on the sidelines of the closing session of the Aga Khan University’s conference on climate change and the built environment, organised by the Institute for Global Health and Development and SDSN Pakistan, Dr Malik said the proposed institution would function as a virtual Green University offering master’s and PhD programmes focused on climate change, environmental sciences, resilience engineering and local solutions.
“We are not asking for hundreds of acres of land. We only need a small piece of land to establish a higher education institution focused entirely on climate and the environment,” he said.
He added that the ministry aims to create a joint academic, research and funding platform to bring Pakistani universities together to develop climate solutions. “Just a couple of days ago I personally visited the HEC and requested them to approve the university. This is the need of the hour,” he said.
Dr Malik told participants that once approval is granted, the ministry would seek partnerships with leading institutions, including the Aga Khan University, to set up joint centres, postgraduate programmes and innovation hubs. “After approval, we will come to Professor Bhutta and start building collaborative ventures,” he said.
Responding to the announcement, Founding Director of IGHD Professor Zulfiqar A Bhutta assured the minister of full support. He said he would personally speak to the incoming HEC leadership and the new Executive Director Dr Zia ul Haq, whom he described as someone deeply committed to science and education, to help expedite the approval of the Green University.
The minister’s remarks were made during the closing session of the two day meeting organised by AKU’s Institute for Global Health and Development and SDSN Pakistan.
In his address, Dr Malik outlined a three phase resilience plan that he said would guide Pakistan’s climate response over the next five years. The first 300 day phase focuses on repairing infrastructure damaged by recent floods, including roads, bridges, schools, clinics and protective systems.
The second phase, spanning one to three years, will expand and upgrade existing systems such as drainage networks and small dams in vulnerable regions. The final phase will build new embankments, levees, barrages and major defences to withstand harsher weather.
He said Pakistan must also build the capacity to secure climate finance by producing integrated, high quality proposals. For private sector opportunities, the ministry is introducing quarterly innovation competitions to attract young entrepreneurs with new technologies and adaptation ideas.
Professor Bhutta presented key findings from the conference, warning that climate change is already worsening heat related deaths, respiratory illness, undernutrition, mental health problems and child vulnerability. He said sharp disparities persist between districts, with informal settlements in Karachi facing severe urban heat hazards and parts of southern Pakistan experiencing rising stunting due to higher temperatures and falling rainfall.
He urged the government to integrate indigenous architecture, community knowledge and low cost, locally viable solutions into national planning.
Associate Director IGHD Dr Jai K Das shared early results from climate resilient housing trials in rural Sindh, showing measurable reductions in indoor temperatures through shaded verandas, ventilated roofs, reflective lime based coatings and low cost wall shading.
The closing panel, moderated by Professor Bhutta, included Dr Moeed Yusuf, Vice Chancellor Beaconhouse National University; Dr Samra Mohsin Khan, Vice President Institute of Architects Pakistan; Professor Noman Ahmed, Pro Vice Chancellor NED University of Engineering and Technology; climate expert Dr Ali Tauqeer Sheikh; and Dr Qamar Mahmood of IDRC.
Panelists called for integrated urban planning, stronger legal frameworks, investment in rural water and housing systems and deeper collaboration between academia and government.
On the opening day of the conference, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Karachi and other major cities must become climate resilient for Pakistan’s national survival. The closing session shifted the conversation toward next steps, with the proposed Green University emerging as a central idea that could reshape the country’s climate knowledge infrastructure.
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