ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan showed off his green thumb on Sunday by launching the #Plant4Pakistan campaign – fulfilling one of his many electoral promises.
As part of the “10 billion tree tsunami” initiative, he planted a tree in the Haripur district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, kickstarting the process of planting nearly 1.5 million saplings across the country.
“The drive was an important step to save Pakistan from becoming a desert,” Malik Amin Aslam, adviser on climate change, told Arab News.
The government has identified 190 spots in the country “where the forest department will work with the municipal administration” to create green spaces.
“Prime minster Imran Khan is highly committed to increasing the country’s water conservation and tackling environmental issues such as air pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss and unlawful wildlife hunting,” Aslam said.
Two videos released by Aslam on Sunday urged people to not only participate in the campaign but to spread awareness on social media, too.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Advisor on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam calling all Pakistanis to join the PM's #Plant4Pakistan 10 Billion Tree plantation drive. This is the biggest tree plantation drive ever in #Pakistan's history. pic.twitter.com/34w3CsF1zf
— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) September 1, 2018
“Today is an extension of the previous campaign in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — a successful one acknowledged internationally — which was the billion tree tsunami,” Iftikhar Durrani, special assistant to the prime minister on media, said.
Pakistan ticked off the billion tree goal from its to-do list in August 2017 with newly-planted saplings in KP. The project helped add 350,000 hectares of trees to the area.
Tree plantation drive starts today! Please join! Our deputy planted a tree too! #Plant4Pakistan @aminattock @pid_gov @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/oyz45e6CIm
— Martin Kobler (@KoblerinPAK) September 2, 2018
Climate change is a pressing issue for Imran Khan who, in his first national address, talked about the urgent need for the country to take it seriously. “Pakistan stands at number seven [in terms of] being affected by climate change. Though our carbon emissions are less in Pakistan [as compared to other countries], regionally we have seen the effects of climate change, and one way of combatting this is to plant trees,” he had said at the time.
The matter holds even more significance in Karachi which has borne the brunt of climate change with crippling heatwaves in the past few years. “The PM knows that we have to save our future generations [and for that] the entire nation has to plant trees. The campaign will have a strong affect because all the urban centers will see a sharp upward trend of the temperature. Karachi has been effected by heat waves,” Basharat Saeed, an Islamabad-based climate change expert told Arab News.
The tree density of Pakistan is less than neighboring China, India, Iran.
Trees per sq. km are less than India, China.
Trees per person are also less than India, China and Iran.
We are one of the countries to be affected the most by global warming. #Plant4Pakistan pic.twitter.com/KLi57gxg2P— PTI (@PTIofficial) September 1, 2018
He added that the more trees we have, the more we succeed in limiting radiation from the sun. Not to forget the campaign’s economic benefits. “There are so many opportunities for livelihood, particularly in rural areas, when it comes to forestry-based occupations,” he said.
However, he urged officials participating in the plantation drive to exercise caution and be aware of geographical limitations. “You have to consider where trees are being planted and which ones. If you plant too many water thirsty trees in an area that is already water stressed, you will put unsustainable pressure on the water table,” he said.
Another issue on hand is the type of species inhabiting the area. “Alien Invasive species are a big problem. They often harm other trees by depriving them of water and nutrients … which might throw the local ecology off balance. Islamabad is a good example of where this has happened,” he said.
.@HartwigSchafer, World Bank’s Vice President for South Asia Region is planting a tree at the WB campus. #UrbanFotest #Environment #GreenDay #Plant4Pakistan pic.twitter.com/sf7Tq40To0
— Illango (@Illango_WB) September 2, 2018
Nice job @actsofkindnessp, @WhoIsHussain and other Isloites. The way you guys came out in large numbers in this scorching heat gives us all hope for the future of the city. A task that was supposed to take 8 hours took only two.
Green Islamabad, Green Pakistan #Plant4Pakistan pic.twitter.com/HJNsYUBljn
— Asfandyar Bhittani (@BhittaniKhannnn) September 2, 2018
