HARIPUR: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that the government is taking steps to address the challenges of climate change.
He expressed this while addressing the ceremony in connection with Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme in Haripur district of Punjab.
Special Assistant for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam briefed the PM on the achievements of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme.
The prime minister also took briefing on the report on the “Nature Capital of Pakistan” of the United Nations Environment Programme.
The premier said that Pakistan has taken challenges of climate change very seriously and the country is taking practical steps to deal with its effects. Pakistan is included in the list of 10 countries that are most affected by climate change.
We want to leave a better Pakistan for our upcoming generations, the prime minister.
Highlighting the importance of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, he said that the project was initially kicked off from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is expanding now.
PM further said that Pakistan’s efforts to fight climate change are being appreciated worldwide and Islamabad is hosting World Environment Day on June 5.
“This is a great honour and acknowledgement of the fact that Pakistan is among a handful of countries trying to reduce the impact of climate change and global warming. We are 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 of climate change is that it will affect our future generation.”
The premier said, “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.”
This is also the situation in India, he said, adding that the Ganges River also depends on glaciers. “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.”
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.”
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. So it can be reversed. This is what we are trying to do […] we are trying to restore our environment and wetlands.”
Previously, a UNEP director presented to the prime minister a UN report titled “Inclusive Wealth of Pakistan: The Case for Investing in Natural Capital and Restoration.”
According to the report, Pakistan’s inclusive wealth increased at an average of 2.3 percent annually in absolute terms during the period 1992-2019. Analysis of the individual capital categories show that human capital and produced capital grew at a rate of 2.9 percent and 3.2 per cent respectively, while natural capital declined negligibly around 0.1 percent.
“There have been exciting recent developments in Pakistan’s management of natural capital. Afforestation across the country as part of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme is expected to boost the nation’s renewable natural capital resources, particularly in the decades to come,” the report said.
It said the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme has helped to make Pakistan a global pioneer in forest restoration by combining community participation, green job creation and strong political commitment.
Overall objectives of the initiative were to improve the quality and extent of protected areas, encourage eco-tourism and promote community engagement and job creation.
Earlier, Malik Amin Aslam said Pakistan would become the world’s best example in green energy revolution as the government is on track to meet its renewable energy targets by 2030 and will raise it to 60 percent through renewable resources.
Pakistan was encouraging private sector investment in renewable energy projects to reach its clean energy goal by 2030 and it would produce 60 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, he said while talking to Pakistan Television.
He said the “green Pakistan” vision of PM aims to transform the country into lush green land with a clean environment for people and it is the topmost priority of the government.
Amin said Imran is committed to the challenge of initiating a green recovery through ecosystem restoration to protect nature and create much-needed green employment.
“Pakistan has made remarkable progress in recent years, bringing electricity connections and impressively scaling up the use of renewable energy, particularly solar,” he added.
He said Pakistan is also set to approve its first-ever forest policy which aims to protect and promote the rational use of national forests, protected areas, natural habitats, and watersheds.
These ecological zones have immense significance and their restoration can improve livelihoods and human welfare, he added.
Talking about food security, he said the government has been adopting the policy of climate-smart agriculture initially with eight districts to achieve food security and broader development goals under a changing climate and increasing food demand.
He said the government is taking revolutionary steps to develop technologies to address climate change issues, adding that the climate-smart agriculture would help increase sustainable productivity, strengthen farmers’ resilience, reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration.
The project aims to increase the income of households through enhancing employment potential and increasing agricultural productivity and production.
Replying to a question about agricultural land, he said to fight against overpopulation, vertical cities are the best solution and vertical cities would accommodate thousands of people in a building that could save the agricultural land.
He said all housing societies have to get a regular no-objection certificate from the government before starting their projects on agricultural land, adding that housing projects on non-productive, barren lands are preferred to reduce pressure on agricultural lands which would safe food baskets.
He said Imran is also focusing on cities’ master plans and introducing agriculture-friendly policies.
Amin said the economy performed beyond expectations with all major macroeconomic indicators showing a positive trend amid the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a 4 percent GDP growth rate this year.
The tree project would also help in achieving environmental goals, he said, adding, the measures were being taken under the prime minister’s vision for clean green Pakistan include nation-wide massive tree plantation and protection activities, promotion of renewable energy, shelving of coal-based energy projects, promotion of electric vehicles, mass transit system, the establishment of new national parks and protection of forests.
Last week, the PM, while inaugurating the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2, said that reversing environmental fallout is important to protect future generations, and the power plant – set up in collaboration with China – would help provide clean and cost-effective electricity.
During the inauguration ceremony, the premier spoke about Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, and the importance of taking measures to protect the country from the dangers of this global phenomenon.
While climate change poses a global threat, Pakistan is considered among the countries most vulnerable to its effects. Due to the global change in temperature, the glaciers in Pakistan’s north are prone to melting, which may lead to floods, causing food security issues for the country and displacement of populations from affected areas.
Although the PM refused to allow any more coal-fired power plants last year, there are other factors that contribute to the problem. One of them is unplanned urbanisation which causes environmental degradation through the reduction of green areas. However, the premier has issued directives to regulate urbanisation for environmental preservation.
Moreover, since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf came to power, it has tried to replicate the massive tree plantation drive it undertook in KP in other parts of the country to deal with environmental challenges. It has also converted brick kilns using traditional methods to zigzag technology.
While these measures were necessary, experts have suggested that a lot needs to be done to counter environmental problems, particularly those that pose threats to public health. Among these are unchecked vehicular and industrial emissions and stubble burning which not only contribute to global warming but are also responsible for the rise in PM2.5 concentration in the atmosphere.
Moreover, various studies have concluded that healthcare costs are likely to surge in the decades to come due to problems caused by environmental degradation.
