President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to protect environment and surmount environment related challenges to ensure a healthier, safer and more resilient planet for the future generations.
The president, in a message on the occasion of World Environment Day being observed on June 5, said that the Day highlighted “our shared responsibility” to protect the environment for the future generations.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to overcoming these issues by pioneering innovative solutions and fostering international partnerships,” the President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
Today, he said, they were commemorating the ‘World Environment Day’ to raise awareness about the issues of land degradation, desertification, and droughts.
“Pakistan is among the few countries that have been most affected by the adverse impacts of climate change. During the past few years, Pakistan has witnessed diverse climate phenomena, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, and forest fires,” he added.
The president observed that the focus of the Day on land restoration, desertification combat, and drought resilience was quite pertinent.
“Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to tackle environmental challenges is showcased through initiatives like the Green Pakistan Programme, which has made significant strides in afforestation and ecosystem restoration,” he added.
The president said the initiatives such as the National Adaptation Plan and the Climate Smart Agriculture reflected their dedication to sustainable agricultural practices and land degradation mitigation.
Although Pakistan was taking steps to tackle desertification, land degradation and drought through the restoration of degraded forests, and agricultural lands, but much more needed to be done, he stressed.
“We need to adopt sustainable land management practices, and water conservation techniques, besides supporting community action to promote forestation in the rural and urban residential areas,” he opined.
The president stressed that they needed to mobilize federal and provincial departments and local communities to combat desertification, land degradation and droughts by efficiently managing and charging their water resources, restoring pastures, and enhancing the water-holding capacity of soils by planting more trees.
He expressed the hope that their focus on climate adaptation and mitigation would prove to be indispensable in ensuring their nation’s sustainability.