Sarah Khan
The Philippines’ House of Representatives has passed a new bill that would require every student to plant 10 trees in order to receive their graduating certificate.
The legislation, called “Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act,” requires all graduating elementary, high school, and college students to plant trees as part of their graduation requirements.
Rep. Gary Alejano, one of the authors of the bill, believes that the emerging youth should contribute actively towards the environment.
Following the bill resolution, statistics provided children graduating viz-a-viz, plantation that would take place is rather a pleasant sight for the barren land.
With an estimated 12 million students graduating from elementary, 5 million from high school, and half a million from college each year, an estimated 525 billion trees will be planted in the country, resulting in 175 million trees every year.
This is a great initiative which has emerged around a time when climate change and global warming seem to have become buzzwords. More leaders ought to engage youth in these results driven programs. Breathing fresh air is a basic human right and we must take steps today to pass on clean and fresh air to our future generations.
This begs the question – can Pakistan indulge in similar initiatives?
The matter has not gone completely unnoticed. Justice Jawad Hasan, of Lahore High Court, seems to have taken note of this. While hearing a petition related to controlling environmental pollution in the country last month, he directed that every citizen building a home in any housing society must plant at least two trees in order to curb environmental pollution.
The court has also, during the past five months, taken action (summoned detailed reports) against factories which are contributing to pollution.
Similarly, PM’s Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam recently stated before a conference that up to 37 per cent of the vehicle systems in the country will be converted to electric cars by the year 2030.
In order to prevent further damage as well as reverse the existing climate damage in Pakistan, we have to design and implement similar initiatives as the one taken by the Philippines government. The amount of planning, resources and expertise required to execute such environment preservation programs is exorbitant, making it hard to pull such missions off.
Temperatures all over the world have been increasingly warmer, upsetting natural ecosystems. Planting trees can rejuvenate our ecosphere as they attract rain and provide a habitat to numerous animals. By attracting rain, they lower the temperature which can reduce heat and can ultimately lead to the melting of ice at a gradual pace, as needed by nature.
Pakistan is a country with one of the most diverse natural habitats, the restoration to which can contribute hugely to reversal of climate damage. We just have to bear in mind that in the next decade or two, environmental pollution from vehicles, population growth (CO2 emissions), fossil fuel emissions from power plants, deforestation, water pollution and radiation will considerably increase. Therefore, a paradigm shift in reforms is needed to reverse the effects of soaring temperatures and the implementation of these changes can help restore Pakistan’s refreshing spring season and lush green forests.
