Pakistani experts and officials on Wednesday said that the country should learn from the green development initiative of China to mitigate its own climate change challenges.

At an event titled "The Need to Switch Towards a Greener Future: Lessons from China" held by Islamabad-based think-tank Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) and Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), speakers said that China has set an example for the world to follow in green development.

"Pakistan had over 150 freak weather incidents during the last two decades, including avalanches, flash floods and forest fire, among others," said Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, chairman of the Pakistani Senate's defense committee and chairman of the PCI.

Climate change crisis was aptly demonstrated by last year's floods in Pakistan, which affected 33 million people, the senator added.

"We are very grateful to China and its leadership for taking the climate change issue forward because many developed countries are still in denial of it," he added.

Syed said that apart from its shift to renewable energy, China also introduced green technology that generated millions of jobs.

Speaking at the event, Abid Qaiyum Suleri, executive director of the SDPI, said that agriculture cooperation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is not only helping Pakistan overcome the food security challenge, but also helping in green development.

"Certain rice varieties provided by China are producing crops in saline conditions in Pakistan. It is greening the environment through nature," he added.

Calling the contribution of Chinese power plants vital to help Pakistan achieve its renewable energy target, Muhammad Ayub, managing director of the National Transmission and Despatch Company, said that they are not only providing cheap electricity, but also working for the green development of Pakistan.

Citing China's success story in greatly reducing pollution, the PCI executive director Mustafa Hyder Syed said that China controlled urban pollution by taking effective methods that Pakistan can follow.

"Now Beijing's air quality is very healthy, there is also a lot of greenery in the city and smog has been controlled, which shows China's commitment to protecting the environment," he added.