Pakistan’s ambitious 10 Billion Tree Tsunami afforestation project received praise in the parliament of the UK recently. The project was discussed and praised in the session of the House of Lords by UK’s environment minister. UK’s environment minister lauded the project and said the world should learn from it.
“The project is one of the most ambitious tree planting initiatives in the world and is a successful precedent for others to follow. I, enthusiastically, commend and celebrate Pakistan’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami initiative and the tens of thousands of jobs that have been created due to the project. It goes to show what is possible and what can be achieved,” said UK Minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park.
10 billion trees project praised in UK parliament – Newspaper – https://t.co/WH3hIiCGuj https://t.co/8m3IVFIrvv
— WWF-Pakistan (@WWFPak) January 27, 2021
Lord Aamer Sarfaraz, who is a member of the House of Lords in the UK and a board member of the World Wide Fund-Pakistan, recognized the positive impact of the Billion Tree Tsunami Project.
Read more: KPK shines and so does Pakistan: Billion Tree Tsunami Project
“Pakistan is showing global leadership in tackling climate change. The project is an effort that all Pakistanis can be proud of. There is no doubt that 2021 is the Year of planet Earth, and by the 26th session of the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) due to be held later this year, we hope to celebrate more successes from Pakistan.”
The provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf had started the afforestation project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2014. Out of all the provinces, KP accounts for 40% of the total forested land in Pakistan. The rampant forest destruction and the resulting barren lands over a decade made the province the hub for the origination of massive floods each year.
Provincial officials say the campaign has achieved its restoration target through a combination of protected natural regeneration, 60 percent, and planned afforestation, 40 percent.
KP government realizing the importance of environmental protection launched the green project.
Pakistan can face acute droughts in the next 50 years if the glaciers situated in the three densely snow-covered mountain ranges continue to melt at the present rate.
The extensive forestation will not only prevent floods but will also thwart the impact of global warming on the glaciers of Pakistan, which to date are the heavily relied upon sources of water for the population of 194.4 million.