All out efforts being made to make 'Clean and Green Pakistan' drive successful: Zartaj Gul

RAWALPINDI: State Minister for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Monday said all out efforts are being made to make the Clean and Green Pakistan drive successful.

Addressing the traders community here at Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), she said pollution is one of the main issues that PTI government aims at tackling through initiatives like the Clean and Green Pakistan campaign.

The minister said the government had launched 10 Billion Trees Tsunami project on patron of the Billion Trees Project of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which would play crucial role in tackling climate change issues in Pakistan.

The Clean Green Pakistan campaign was launched by the Prime Minister in October and the Ministry of Climate Change is coordinating its implementation with all the provinces including Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

She said Clean Pakistan goal can only be achieved through public private partnership and chamber of commerce can play a vital role in bridging the gap.

She lauded the RCCI efforts in promoting business activities in the region and also appreciated its key initiatives under Corporate Social Responsibility including plantation of 50,000 tree samplings, RCCI Dastarkhan and medical dispensary.

The minister welcomed RCCI’s key suggestions for better environment like inspection of commercial and private vehicles, identification of long survival trees along with area climate, ownership and water conservation.

Earlier RCCI President Malik Shahid Saleem in his welcome address said traders are ready to join hand with the government for its efforts to address the climate change through various steps including tree plantation, ban on plastic bags and use of renewable energy.

The RCCI through its industry-Academia linkage program will initiate awareness campaign and will organize seminars and workshop to make Pakistan greener, he further added.

He informed that Pakistan is seventh in the list of ten countries which have been badly affected by the climate change. The remedy to mitigate the impact of climate change undoubtedly lies in planting more and more trees.

About six to ten degree centigrade temperature can be reduced in different parts of the country by planting trees following the international concept of urban forestry, he added.

Later, State Minister Zartaj Gul planted a sapling at the chamber lawn to mark the 50,000 number under its plantation drive.