President Zardari urges joint action on climate change through Green Pakistan Programme
“At this critical juncture, when climate change has already brought devastation to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other regions through floods and cloudbursts, we must act decisively to plant more trees,” the president stated during the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign.
He emphasized that collective efforts should focus on advancing the Green Pakistan Programme, a national initiative aimed at increasing forest cover, restoring degraded lands, rebalancing nature, and promoting nature-based solutions.
“This initiative is not just about planting trees; it is about building healthier communities, safeguarding livelihoods, and ensuring a climate-resilient future for generations to come,” the President Secretariat Press Wing quoted him as saying in a press release.
During the campaign, the president urged all citizens to actively participate in this noble cause by planting saplings and contributing to a greener, cleaner, and more prosperous Pakistan for the future.
President Zardari said the 18th of August marked the launch of a nationwide tree plantation drive at a time when Pakistan faced the harsh realities of climate change.
This year, he said, between August and October, over 41 million saplings would be planted across Pakistan.
From cities to villages, and schools to government institutions, this campaign would reshape their landscapes, strengthen resilience against climate disasters, and kindle hope for a greener tomorrow, he added.
“Its success depends on collective responsibility. Youth must lead as ambassadors of change, the media should inspire households, and farmers can protect both crops and the environment through tree plantation.
Civil society, community leaders, and religious scholars must also motivate and encourage the people to plant trees as a national duty,” the president further underlined.
The well-being and progress of any nation were grounded in the preservation of its forests and natural environment, he said, adding deforestation, rising temperatures, and frequent floods were challenges affecting millions of lives.
“With insufficient forest cover leaving our land vulnerable to disasters that endanger our economy, agriculture, and well-being, this campaign is not symbolic—it is an important step to safeguard Pakistan’s future,” the president added.
He further observed that trees were the lifeline of the environment and one of the strongest defenses against climate change, adding they cleaned the air they breathed, enriched the soil that fed them, regulated their climate, conserved their precious water resources, and provided shelter to countless species of life.
“Trees lower extreme temperatures, absorb rainwater, and reduce floods and landslides. Every tree planted is a shield against disaster and a source of life for generations,” he added.
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