Environment day: ‘Plant trees to battle climate change’

LAHORE: The country’s dwindling forest cover was the topic of the third and final seminar on Tuesday arranged by the Environmental Protection Department to mark World Environment Day. “Forests are essential in protecting us from the hazards of climate change. We need to not only step up our attempts to conserve the scarce forest cover, but also to increase it,” said AR Saleemi, a former UET professor who is the technical member of the Punjab environment tribunal. “Forests feed our rivers and help maintain soil fertility.” “Individual actions are important for environmental conservation. Holistic approaches to reduce our ecological footprint will bring about a positive change in the environment,” he said. He called for a shift towards sustainable development practices such as use of clean energy, cleaner public transport, more efficient use of water, ‘green’ buildings and proper waste management. Saleemi said that the government needed to make strategic use of natural resources. “We have to develop mechanisms of conservation so future generations can meet their needs too.” Seemal Ejaz, an associate professor of environment studies, spoke about the green economy.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2012.