ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has successfully cut 50 percent greenhouse gases(GHGs) emissions against the 35 percent target pledged under the UNFCCC tobe achieved till 2030 within its available limited resources despite beinga less contributor to global GHG emissions.

A recent German Watch Report of Global Climate Risk Index 2020, a globalthink-tank working on climate change, had rated Pakistan number 5thvulnerable country due to adverse impacts of climate change.The data was reckoned from 1998 to 2018 that mentioned the country facing9,989 life losses and $3.8 billion economic losses due to recurrentphenomenon of floods and climate change induced catastrophes.The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) had alsodeclared the data of GHG emissions control presented by the Pakistaniofficials as the most scientific and professional data as compared to herneighbouring country India.

The Ministry of Climate Change had a dedicated arm of scientists andclimate change experts at Global Climate Impact Studies Center (GCISC)thatwere extensively working to compile this intricate set of data based onemissions from industrial, petroleum, agricultural and livestock sectors.

A ministry official told APP that Pakistan was contributing less than onepercent to the global emissions and was not provided any global assistanceparticularly on cutting down its GHG emissions, however, the country hadmanaged on its own to protect the global environment.

He added that apart from this achievement the country was going to achievefirst billion plantation targets under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunamiprogramme in June 2021.

The thriving mangroves in the country were the only increasing plantationof the species all over the world with a 300 percent increase since itsconservation along the coastal areas started. Special Assistant to thePrime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam had also announcedan additional one billion mangroves plantation under the Ten Billion TreeTsunami project keeping in view its increasing rate.

The Prime Minister had also initiated the Protected Areas Initiative aimedto establish 15 National Parks sprawling over an area over 7,300 squarekilometers that comprised mountains in the Northern region to the scrubforests in the plains and a marine protected area in the south of thecountry.

Pakistan had also used COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to provide jobopportunities to pandemic-idle workforce including youth and working womenof impoverished households in the rural areas.

The Green Stimulus package of Rs2400 billion had helped the masses inraising nurseries, protecting forests and also planting olive and fruittrees and generating alternate incomes through honey farming. The countryhad bagged global acclaim from World Economic Forum, IUCN, WWF, NormandyChair for Peace and many others showered unreluctant praise for theinitiative that was killing two birds with one stone as conservingenvironment at one hand and ensuring employment for jobless people duringpandemic lockdown.