A stark warning

There are countless benefits of trees. The trees that we see today are the product of the seeds that someone planted a couple of years ago. Trees play an important role in making the climate of any country moderate. The scarcity of trees poses a great threat to the climate of any country. Climate does not respect national borders and any threat to the climate is a global challenge. International standards suggest that 25 percent of the land of any country must be forested. Unfortunately, the total forest area in our country is only three percent of the total land. According to some media reports, deforestation in Pakistan stands at 2.4 percent per annum – the highest in Asia.

This breakneck speed of deforestation in the country is leading to drastic changes in the region’s weather systems as well as its land and marine biodiversity. Some unpalatable truths have been discovered by the Ministry of Climate Change. At least 1.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide is caused by deforestation. This mainly includes the cutting and burning of forests. It is time we realised the importance of planting trees as it not only helps in curbing the menace of climate change in the country but also helps in reducing air and noise pollution. The following saying goes well in this situation: ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now’.

Engineer Izhar Hussain Solangi (Rawalpindi)