The sun shines through trees. PHOTO: REUTERS
“We cannot protect the country from devastating impacts of global warming-induced climate change, as long as our forests continue getting chopped down,” the official said. “Forests are the best way to achieve enhanced climate resilience against fallouts of climate change impacts.”
World Bank gives $3.8m to save forests
REDD+ is a UN-led mechanism that aims to increase countries’ ability to reduce heat-trapping carbon emissions due to deforestation and forest degradation, and foster conservation, sustainable management of forests, and enhancement of forest carbon stocks.
The official said that international studies have shown that deforestation and land degradation account for significant amount of overall global carbon emissions annually. “Most people assume that global warming is caused by burning oil, gas and coal. But in fact between 25% and 30% of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year- or approximately 1.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide - is caused by deforestation, mainly the cutting and burning of forests, every year,” he said.
Pakistan’s first urban forest reaches greater heights
However, the same amount of carbon climate-altering carbon dioxide gases released from fossil fuel burning through any source can be removed from the atmosphere to stabilise the climate change by halting deforestation, he underlined.
“Controlling deforestation in the country is not possible without increasing access to renewable and alternative energy sources particularly for cooking and heating in households,” the official noted.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2017.
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