However, it still presents a grim picture about Pakistan showing it 136th among out of 177 countries and areas though with a slight improvement. Its HDI would have been 0.544 for 2004 value, had the updates been available at the time of compiling the last report.
In terms of Human Poverty Index (HPI), Pakistan stands at 77th position among 108 developing countries for which the index has been calculated while Gender Development Index (GDI) value for Pakistan is 95.3 percent.
Out of 156 countries with both HDI and GDI value, 151 countries have a better ratio than Pakistan as in Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), the country ranks 82nd out of 93 countries with a value of 0.377. For India, 156 countries and for Bangladesh 107 countries have better ratio than these two. In comparison presented in report, India and Bangladesh stand at 128th and 140th respectively with 62nd and 93rd in HDI and HPI.
Giving overview of the report, Alvero Rodriguez, Country Director UNDP Pakistan said, as a result of past Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and other Green House Gases (GHGs), the world in now on course of future climate change. He said Human Development Report (HDR) identifies around 2C unavoidable temperature increase, with irreversible and dangerous climate change impacts.
"We have less than a decade to change course and start living within a sustainable global carbon budget identified at 14.5 gigatonnes of CO2 per annum for the remainder of the 21st century," he said quoting the report's findings.
"Currently emissions are running at twice of this level, if this trend continues, the carbon budget will be set for expiry during the 2030s, setting in motion a process that can lead to temperature increase by 5C or above by the end of century - roughly similar to temperature changes since last ice age (10,000 years ago)," Alvero said.
He said high-income OECD countries meanwhile lead the league of "CO2 transgressors" with just 15 percent of the world's population accounting for half of emissions and the other half by 85 percent of the population.
"If the entire world emits like high-income OECD countries - an average of 13.2 tonne CO2 per person - we would be emitting six times our sustainable carbon budget," he added. Alvero, however appreciated Pakistan for efforts to fight global warming. "Pakistan is doing well. It is moving in right direction," he observed.
With 2.4 percent of world population, Pakistan accounts for 0.4 percent of global emissions - an average of eight tonnes of CO2 per person. Pakistan has signed and ratified Kyoto Protocol and as non-annex-1 party to Protocol, Pakistan is not bound by specific targets for Greenhouse Gases emissions.
"Pakistan is the only country which has formulated Prime Minister's Committee on Climate Change in 2004. We are concentrating on climate change's impact on water and agriculture," said Dr Ashfaq, President Academy of Sciences.
"Water and food security are emerging challenges for Pakistan," he said and regretted that none of Pakistan's universities have a climate change faculty. "We are also yet to excel in modelling and simulation for the new energy technologies." He said population increase had depleted resources over the years and today countries in region need to develop their own energy and climate control models.
"We are vulnerable. Our glaciers are melting," he said and noted, China and India's contribution as significant in climate change. He sought co-operation from the UNDP, IUCN, international organisations, local NGOs and other players for controlling CO2 emissions and that of media for sensitising people to mitigate GHGs emissions.
Assistant Resident Representative UNDP, Arif Alauddin urged immediate measures and said, "the opportunity window of for avoiding the most damaging climate change impacts is fast closing." "As the world has financial resources and technological capability, so what is required, is a sense of urgency, human solidarity and collective interest," Arif said.
He said Climate Change challenges us to reflect on social justice and human rights across countries and generation. "It challenges political leaders and people in the rich countries to acknowledge their responsibility to the problem and initiate early cuts in HGHs emissions." "We must take urgent action to adapt to Climate Change," he added.