{"id":46281,"date":"2022-04-19T13:40:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T12:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=46281"},"modified":"2022-04-21T14:02:45","modified_gmt":"2022-04-21T13:02:45","slug":"pakistans-tree-planting-ambition-in-doubt-after-imran-khans-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2022\/04\/19\/pakistans-tree-planting-ambition-in-doubt-after-imran-khans-exit\/","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan’s tree-planting ambition in doubt after Imran Khan’s exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pakistan\u2019s ambitious tree-planting programme faces a major setback after prime minister Imran Khan was ousted by a no-confidence vote in parliament last week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The former cricketing star launched the first phase of the \u201cTen Billion Tree Tsunami\u201d in 2019 to increase forest cover and mitigate impact of climate change on the South Asian nation of 220 million.<\/p>\n

The programme was progressing fast, with 1.5 billion trees planted by March this year against a target of 3.2 billion by 2023, but this could hit a snag. Climate action has not historically been a priority for incoming prime minister Shehbaz Sharif or the parties he will rely on to govern.<\/p>\n

Malik Amin Aslam, the former climate change minister under Khan, told Climate Home News the tree-planting programme was not a luxury but a necessity for Pakistan, urging the new government to continue with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cClimate change remains oblivious to political circumstances in Pakistan, therefore, projects like these need to be above the political divisions,\u201d Aslam said.<\/p>\n

The government had allocated 125 billion Pakistani rupees to the scheme ($680 million), of which around 30 billion rupees had been spent to plant 1.5 billion saplings at 9,500 sites across Pakistan.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrime Minister Imran Khan kept the project at the top priority even in Covid-19 times and provided all the required funds for it,\u201d said Aslam. \u201cThe initiative has helped develop a green image of Pakistan globally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brazil<\/strong> accused of backsliding in updated climate pledge to UN<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Khan was due to stay in office until August 2023, but an opposition alliance of ten parties toppled his government on Monday 11 April after proving their majority in the parliament.<\/p>\n

The country listed the project in its contribution<\/a> to the Paris Agreement, estimating it would store 500 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2040, if fully implemented. In 2018, national emissions were 489.87 MtCO2e.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in the final stages to secure around one billion dollar [$1 billion] financing for the project from the World Bank under its nature policy based lending,\u201d the ex-minister said. \u201cBut this will certainly be at risk now after dismissal of our government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Experts have lauded the project as a \u201cgame changer\u201d to boost the country\u2019s forest cover and meet international obligations to cut greenhouse gas emissions. They have also demanded an audit of the funds for transparency over how taxpayers’ money has been spent.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis massive tree plantation scheme is a flagship programme of the outgoing government and it must continue at the same pace to fulfill our national and international commitments,\u201d said Aisha Khan, executive director for Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change in Islamabad.<\/p>\n

She said the project had helped increase the country\u2019s forest cover, created green jobs and cracked down on deforestation by the “timber mafia”. This was helping to offset rising emissions from a growing population and industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe new administration should try to plug loopholes in the scheme to further strengthen it like identification of appropriate tree species for specific areas and soils before the plantation drive,\u201d she suggested, and present the project at international forums to secure green financing. \u201cThis is a project of national importance and [should] hence be owned by each political party irrespective of their position in the parliament.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n