ISLAMABAD: A roundtable conference on sustainable development began on Wednesday by highlighting increasing population as Pakistan`s biggest challenge, and suggested reducing the consumption of plastic bags as a measure to adapt to the threat of an altering climate.

At the `National Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production for the preparation of National Action Plan` UN Country Representative Neil Buhane warned: `Pakistan`s huge population is a big challenge. The government`s Vision 2025 is similar to SDGs. The plastic bags are threat to environment. The imposition of a higher price on plastic bags can reduce their use.

Participants of the two-day workshop contributed ideas for sustainable consumption and production in Pakistan, the efficient and affordable use of natural resources, the reduction of climate change vulnerabilities and to help achieve food, water and energy security.

Organised by the Ministry of Climate Change, the United Nations Environment Programme`s Regional Officefor Asia and the Pacific and the European Union Switch Asia Programme, the workshop looked into ways to minimise pressure on natural resources and achieve sustainable development.

The workshop was also informed that on February 19, Pakistan became the first country in the world whose National Assembly passed a unanimous resolution adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda as its national development agenda.

SDG 12 of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns.

Climate Change Minister Zahid Hamid said: `Global SDGs complement Pakistan`s Vision 2025 ` `The SDGs agenda is now Pakistan`s development agenda. The SDGs are PDGs Pakistan Development Goals, Mr Hamid added.

He said the sound management of natural resources required effective environmental governance, which could bring about a paradigm shift from environmentally insensitive development to inclusive,equitable and balanced economic growth driven by natural resource management, afforestation, biodiversity conservation andresource ernciency.

Mr Hamid said Pakistan ranks eighth on the list of countries most affected by climate change, and needed to adopt a `green growth` concept to achieve the implementation of policies that promote climate resilient, environmentally sustainable economic progress and foster low carbon, socially inclusive development at the same time.

He added that the conversion to a `green economy` would require economy-wide structural and technological changes through the `greening` of key sectors such as energy, urban infrastructure, transportation, industry and agriculture, as well as the `greening` of investments, the creation of green jobs and the facilitation of green trade.

The worl(shop was also informed that the Green Pakistan Programme, which focuses on reducing natural resource degradation and mitigating climate change impact would launch soon.-Staff Reporter