Green Pakistan

While launching the monsoon plantation 2019 in Islamabad on August 5, 2019, the prime minister said that increasing Pakistan’s forest cover is essential to save it from the imminent disaster of climate change. Plantation is not an option but a necessity to save the country for future generations. Also, the country needed active contribution by its youth in tree plantation to avert the hazards of climate change including high temperature, glacier melting and desertification. The prime minister added that August 18, 2019 will be marked as 'Plant for Pakistan Day' where citizens in four provinces, administration and armed forces will plant trees as a gesture of caring for the country.

It merits a mention that the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has increased forest cover by six percent during the five years through Billion Tree Tsunami Project. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) executive secretary has admired Pakistan for successfully planting a billion trees in KP. Terming the success story of KP fantastic, he said, the best investment we can make in the world today is to combat desertification, combat climate change and reduce biodiversity loss. But at the same time build the local and rural economy, create job opportunities, promote renewable energy. Also, land restoration is essential because 98 percent of the food comes from land.

Khan Faraz, Peshawar