Climate Change Policy to be in Senate next week

Islamabad: Having been approved by the National Assembly, the Climate Change Policy will be introduced in the Senate next week, while the National Forest Policy has been approved by the Council of Common Interests.

This was stated by Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid while addressing a news conference at his ministry in connection with the inauguration of the Green Pakistan Programme.

The minister said the Green Pakistan Programme had been launched simultaneously in all the provinces and federating units. He said there was only five percent forest cover in Pakistan, which was very little to combat adverse effects of climate change.

"The prime minister has taken personal interest to conserve wildlife and forest sector of Pakistan and initiated this programme. The programme is based on matching grant and all the provinces responded positively on the suggestion to give matching grant of 50 per cent.

"The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Rs3.7 billion for forestry and Rs1.3 billion for wildlife," he said. The minister said February 9 had been declared the National Green Day and more than 100 universities also inaugurated the campaign.

"The main essence of this programme is to grow indigenous trees in Pakistan. This program will be implemented through involving rural and urban population. In this regard, the Ministry of Climate Change is working very closely to civil society, international organisations and private sectors," he said. The minister said Pakistan was ranked seventh among the countries mostly affected by climate change. Inspector General Forest Syed Mehmood Nasir, who was also in attendance, said the Federal Forestry Board was being revived under the new forest policy. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif formally launched the Green Pakistan Programme by planting a tree in the Prime Minister's Office.