On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that his government remained ambitious to address climate change challenges.
Addressing a ceremony in Haripur in connection with the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami program, the prime minister said that the initiative originally began in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2013. “We remain dedicated to the cause and are trying to improve the environment in different ways.”
“Government is not doing this for show. We are doing this so that we can leave behind a better country for our future generations. The biggest impact is that it will affect our future generation.”
The prime minister said Pakistan was among the top ten countries at risk from climate change. “The water in our rivers comes from glaciers. And if the rate at which they are melting continues, we will have to face many issues.”
“So through our efforts. We are trying to slow down the impact of climate change. And we want to leave behind a country for our future generations the way it was when I was growing up.”
Clean and Green Pakistan
The Pakistan I grew up in had a lot of forest cover and wildlife while the cities were also manageable, he said. “With time, we caused harm to our cities due to a lack of long-term thinking.”
PM Imran said when he first visited Singapore, the river was like a sewerage drain. “Now if you look at it, the river has fish. They have cleaned it up. This is what we are trying to do, we are trying to restore our environment and wetlands.”
Given Dera Ismail Khan’s example, the prime minister said waterlogged land has turned into a jungle. “Because of that wildlife and birds have returned to the area. People’s livelihoods have also increased,” he said, adding that this would also benefit tourism.
PM Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) plants billionth tree at Makhniyal forest area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to show it’s significance as ten billion tree tsunami’s first deodar plant was planted here in September, 2018. pic.twitter.com/hOlQvdPEPI
— Ministry of Climate Change, Govt of Pakistan (@ClimateChangePK) May 27, 2021
Pakistan to host World Environment Day this year
Moreover, in February, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) was informed that Pakistan will host World Environment Day this year to mark the launch of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.
The prime minister said Pakistan will be hosting World Environment Day on June 5. Also, he said, “This is a great honor that the fact that Pakistan is among a handful of countries trying to reduce the impact of climate change and global warming”.
Environmental issues being faced by Pakistan and initiatives taken to mitigate them will be highlighted. The day will be celebrated across the world through various events and activities under Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Moreover, UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said: “Pakistan has shown real leadership in efforts to restore the country’s forests; we are grateful for their commitment to host World Environment Day 2021 and lead the charge for all nations to restore our damaged ecosystems through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.”
The prime minister concluded his address by stating that on World Environment Day, Pakistan would highlight how it was trying to reverse the impact of climate change.
Currently a student of Economics and Data Science, ITU Lahore.