FCC student at Servir-Himalaya Youth Forum
Servir Himalya Youth Forum – Empowering Youth for Climate Actions in the Himalayas was conducted from 7 to 10 December at the Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad. 30 young participants from all over the country were selected for the four day conference. Sarah Ephraim, Senior Student Environmental Sciences and President Earth Watch Club FCC, represented Lahore and FCC at the conference.
The conference was organized by SUPARCO, Lead Pakistan, Institute of Space Technology, Servir Himalaya and ICIMOD (International Center for Integrated Mountain Development), an initative of NASA and USAID. The conference included various sessions regarding the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems for actions against climate change in the region. Participants were trained on using GIS softwares through various exercises. ICIMOD is actively conducting such sessions among youth activists from countries that share geographical linkage to the Himalayas. Facilitators from IST, Lead Pakistan, REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), ICIMOD Holland and ICIMOD Nepal spoke on the following topics:
- Earth Observation in the context of Pakistan
- Understanding RS/GIS tools
- Pakistans Climate Change Policy
- Exploring spatial information using web resources
- Rapid response mapping for glaciers and in disaster situations
- Ethical Leadership and Climate Change
- REDD
- Remote Sensing for agricultural monitoring and food security in Pakistan
This forum, first of its kind was a event of success and appreciation nationally. Participants from the forum will remain in touch through the Servir Himalaya network and work in there respective areas for awareness of climate change.
“The interactive and rich experience opened for me many doors of plans and interaction as an environmentalist. It was interesting to meet people from areas like Gilgit, Chitral and Peshawar, spend time with them and share with them activities for the awareness of climate change taking place in my city and my institution,” said Sara.