Despite the numerous challenges that this period of uncertainty and loss has brought for people worldwide, others have been focused on compassion, renewal, and persistence to go through this pandemic.
One such optimistic view comes from Pakistan.
Namely, the PM Imran Khan made the initiative from 2018 10 Billion Trees Tsunami pivotal once more-this time, it aids in the fight against the negative economic and social impact of the virus on the population of Pakistan.
Pakistan is 5th in the list of countries that were affected the most by global warming in the past 20 years, notes the Global Climate Risk Index of 2020.
The country has had more than 150 extreme weather events including floods, droughts, and heat waves from 1999 to 2018 and they’re only expected to rise with the worsening of climate change.
Ambitious Goal to Plant 10 Billion Trees
The project seeks to plant 1 billion trees throughout the desert of Pakistan in a period of 5 years. Despite the lockdowns in the country as of March 23 to ease the virus spreading, the PM issued exceptions to laborers involved in this project.
He has also hired 63,000 additional laborers who were unemployed to help with the forestation.
They’re paid between 7 and 106 dollars per day or around half of their usual wages and it also helps relieve some of the unemployment in the country.
To protect them as much as they can from the virus, the government has mandated that they have to wear masks and keep 6 feet apart from each other while working in the field.
Until now, around 30 million indigenous saplings have been planted in the Punjab area since the beginning of the campaign.
This year they hope to reach a number of 50 million trees planted.
You can check out the initiative on the internet through the #Plant4Pakistan and follow their progress in the fight against climate change through reforestation.
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