Speaking at the 7th International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia Regional Conservation Forum recently in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that protecting the environment has been one of his priorities since he started his term in office. Indeed, he has been highlighting this issue at every available opportunity. It was one of the four key issues he raised in his UNGA speech last September. In his inaugural address to the IUCN event, he emphasized the need for pursuing development of effective policies geared towards conserving natural resources, ecosystems and biodiversity. These policies, he pointed out, are crucial for improved livelihoods and achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

Also dwelling on his favourite theme, he said: "The implementation of 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Project has become a gigantic step towards restoring and protecting the country's natural resources." When his party first came to power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it launched a 'Billion Tree Tsunami' in that province and also took steps to stop illegal logging. The success rate of those efforts may have been less than expected, but it was a commendable initiative. In the other provinces, however, deforestation has gone on unrestrained. In certain instances, forest areas have been taken over by housing schemes and commercial concerns with the connivance of provincial government officials. It being a provincial subject, there may not be much the federal government can do to stop this nasty activity. But there is a lot more it can and must do to deal with the impending threat of climate change. In fact, as environmental scientists have been warning for long, Pakistan has already been experiencing the effects of global warming in recurring floods and changing weather patterns. Pakistan is also a water-stressed country, and according to the World Resources Institutes annual reports, on track to become one of the worst water-stressed countries in the region by 2040, with horrendous consequences for its agrarian economy and future food security.

That calls for both short- and long-term measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. Planting more trees and preventing deforestation is important; so is the government decision to convert at least 30 percent of four-and-three-wheelers into electric vehicles. Fossil fuels-fed energy projects also need to be phased out in favour of greener options. As regards aggravating water scarcity, experts point out that it is not a destiny; ways can be found to reduce it. Better management of water resources is the way forward. And to ensure agricultural productivity, research institutes need to focus on adaptive cropping systems. For any of this to happen, the policymakers must first shake the habit of thinking for the immediate, and plan for decades rather than months and/or one or two years. It is about time effective policies the prime minister spoke about were formulated to deal with environmental challenges.