Official says all resources being utilised to compensate depleting forests.
ISLAMABAD: A Climate Change Ministry (MoCC) official on Wednesday said that efforts were under way to boost forest cover across the country.
At a media briefing, Federal Climate Change Secretary Syed Abu Ahmad Akif said that the ministry in collaboration with the federating units had doubled its efforts to increase the forest cover to fight the impacts of climate change.
He said that the prime minister had directed the ministry to take provincial forest departments on board to check deforestation and increase forest cover to lessen Pakistan’s climate vulnerability in case of a natural calamity.
“The ministry would leave no stone unturned to utilise its available resources to actualise the prime minister’s directives, as he has expressed serious concern over rapidly depleting forests resources, which has exposed the country to apocalyptic effects of climate-altering global warming,” Akif said.
The official said that the “Green Pakistan Programme” envisioned by the premier reflected his understanding of importance of forests in tackling climate change issues, and his seriousness towards re-invigorating the ailing forestry sector.
Present government’s sincerity to the cause of protecting country’s social and economic sectors from climate change impacts is reflected in the political will shown at the highest levels [to address the issue],” Akif said.
He said that under the “Green Pakistan Programme”, around 100 million trees would be planted in the next five years.
“Containing deforestation and increasing forest cover is effective, viable and the only way to mitigate the impact of climate change,” Akif said.
“Forests hold key to tackle extreme weather patterns, which trigger floods, droughts, heat waves etc,” he said.
The officials also talked about multi-million-rupee projects the ministry has envisaged, to fight the threat of climate change.
Meanwhile, experts have called for creating mass awareness to tackle environmental degradation to achieve sustainable socio-economic development goals.
They were speaking at a seminar titled “environmental education for controlling environmental degradation” organized by the Ministry of Climate Change in collaboration with the Pakistan Institute for Environment-Development Action Research (PIEDAR) held at Lok Virsa on Thursday.
Climate Change Secretary, Akif, has said that awareness-raising at all levels is vital to coping with environmental degradation for achieving sustainable socio-economic development goals.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2016.
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