According to the recent report of the United Nations released on Monday, August 9, the world will suffer from a major climate disaster every decade. This has been declared as ‘code red for humanity’ by UN Chief Antonio Guterres. This report has made the entire world question the role that the states are playing in order to deal with a climate crisis in the future.
Additionally, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in government, the effort to improve the climate condition has accelerated which has also been recognized on international forums. The most significant projects on which the government has worked and is still working in this regard are the Clean Green Pakistan Movement (CGPM), the 10 billion tree tsunami, and hosting The World Environment Day this year on June 5.
The CGPM was launched by PM Imran Khan on 15 November 2019 to encourage the citizens to support the government regulatory bodies in their endeavor to keep the cities clean, improve the civic facilities, and instill a sense of ownership in the entire nation.
Any citizen can become the Clean Green Champion by volunteering to contribute to the five major fields of work;
- Hygiene
- sanitation
- solid waste treatment
- provision of safe drinking water
- plantation
The 10 billion tree tsunami is a four years program (2019-2023) with a total cost of $125.18 billion. The major goal of this program is to resuscitate forestation and wildlife conservation practices which will make the tourism industry and the job market flourish. During the global financial constraint in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Forest and Wildlife Department employed 84,609 daily wagers under this program.
On June 5, 2021, Pakistan hosted “World Environment Day 2021” which has been observed globally for the last four decades to raise awareness about the crucial environmental conditions. The theme of the day this time was ‘ecosystem restoration’ which was fully aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of the Clean and Green Pakistan Movement. The day became even more significant as the UN launched the “United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030)”. This highlighted the notable role that Pakistan being one of the ten most climate-vulnerable countries is playing in curbing a probable climate crisis.
