Chinese university offers scholarships for Pakistani students

In a bid to help Pakistani students enhance their research capacity to combat the climate crisis, Nanjing University of Information Sciences and Technology (NUIST) is offering fully funded scholarships in the field of Climate Change and Environmental Governance.

Confirming the report, Professor Dr Tong Jiang of NUIST and Executive Director for the Research Institute of Climatic and Environmental Governance on Monday said that his department is offering fully funded scholarships in the field of Climate Change and Environmental Governance for Pakistani students.

In this regard, NUIST is collaborating with NUST and an MoU has been signed to foster collaboration in scientific research and exchanges of students and faculty. The research cooperation is being also expanded with other prominent universities of Pakistan which include Quaid-e-Azam University, COMSATS University Islamabad, and the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Professor Jiang said. 

He added that young scientists from Pakistan’s universities in the field of climate change and climate risk studies would be admitted to the university for research. Moreover, Environmental Change Postdoctoral positions would also be offered.

He said, "Our new project in Pakistan is focused on water shortage and tipping points about climate change. Pakistan suffered great losses due to heavy floods last year and now facing high temperatures and drought."

In Pakistan, according to the UN report, the water shortage is increasing in Pakistan and water is also getting drained. It is probably because of the increasing population and deficiencies in the water management mechanism.

He said that Pakistan’s economic system is also based on Agriculture and for this water is an essential component. So, therefore, our research would focus to overcome this climate change impact and reducing the water shortage.

Talking about air pollution and smog problems, he said that the major causes of poor air quality are industrial emissions, vehicular emissions, domestic emissions, construction-related dust emissions, smoke from brick kilns, and soot from burning agricultural waste.

For solutions, he said industries should be shifted from cities to industrial areas, converting the system to renewable energy, increasing the use of affordable public transport system, planting trees, and better management of livestock and waste from cities.