Page 19 - newsletter-january-2019

Governance, Transparency and Service to Members & Students www.icap.org.pk Pakistani Oxford Academic Awarded Prestigious British Academy Fellowship P akistani environmentalist and Oxford based address the growing climate Academic Dr. Abrar Chaudhury has been awarded threats in Pakistan. the prestigious British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship for 2018. Last year, he led efforts to develop the Climate-Smart The British Academy (BA) was set up by the Royal Agriculture (CSA) profile for Charter from King Edward VII in 1902 as UK’s national Pakistan supported by the body for the humanities and social sciences. The World Bank. He followed BA Fellowships are awarded to a select cohort of this with a detailed CSA profile for Punjab which outstanding academics all of whom are at cutting will be launched early next year. The Punjab profile edge of research in social sciences through a rigorous offers practical solutions for farmers to improve and competitive process. Abrar is the only Pakistani productivity while countering the threats of climate to have received this award. change. He said, “Farmers are already deploying coping strategies, we need to promote the ones Abrar’s fellowship will focus on implementation of that are climate-smart with supporting policy and climate change policies and programs in Pakistan. funding mechanism to scale these strategies across He emphasised: “For the last 25 years we have been the country. gathering credible scientific and social evidence on the impacts of climate change. We now clearly know Building on his success from last year of receiving the that climate change is biggest threat to humanity and ‘Best Doctoral Dissertation Award 2017,’ Abrar plans our survival. It is time for action.” to work closely with the Green Climate Fund to secure funding for climate projects in Pakistan. The recent UN climate report on 1.5 degree warming has sent out a clear and stark message that the world He explained that “Pakistan needs a pipeline of is running out of time. The past decade has seen an sustainable and scalable climate focused projects astonishing run of record-breaking storms, floods, backed up credible scientific research. I hope to play forest fires, droughts, heat waves with just 1.0 degree an instrumental role in bridging the knowledge and of global warming. institutional gaps needed to create a resilient society.” Pakistan disproportionately bears the brunt of Abrar comes from a family of chartered accountants. the global warning because of its geographic and He grew up and studied in Lahore, trained as a economic vulnerabilities. Agriculture, which is the chartered accountant. He went on to lead one of mainstay of the Pakistan economy, contributing 20% the oldest Pakistani accountancy firms, set up by to the GDP, employing 40% of the labour force and his grandfather who was the first member of The is responsible for 75% of its exports, is particularly Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan vulnerable to climate change. A rise in the temperature (ICAP). Abrar’s passion for the environment drove will negatively impact agriculture productivity and him to get a doctorate in Environmental Change and increase variability of the monsoon systems. This Management, an MBA, and an M.Sc in Environmental vicious and unpredictable cycle of climatic extremes Management from the University of Oxford. can reverse years of development progress and push millions in poverty, unless addressed immediately. On receiving the Fellowship, Abrar commented: “I am absolutely thrilled to receive the British Academy He said that Pakistan is one of the most climate Postdoctoral Fellowship. These three years are vulnerable countries in the world. So, what is the way precious; they offer me the intellectual space to not forward for Pakistan? Abrar stated that he plans to only follow my passion for climate change, but to be use the fellowship, and the Oxford network to bring part of a wonderful cohort of the next generation of in world class ideas, resources and technologies to academics. January 2019 19