ISLAMABAD (Zahid Yaqoob Khawaja): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the 2025 Spring Tree Plantation Drive here to plant around 41.7 million saplings across the country, urging the entire nation’s participation to avert climate change impacts and address many diseases.

The prime minister, who launched the campaign by planting a Chir Pine sapling on the lawn of the Prime Minister’s House as part of the Up-Scaling of Green Pakistan Program, said that the plantation would be made across four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).

Under the campaign, 12.870 million saplings will be planted in Punjab, 10 million in Sindh, 2.633 million in KP, 2.062 million in Balochistan, 10.147 million in AJK and four million in Gilgit Baltistan. The main species to be planted include Kikar, Jand, Amaltas, Shisham, Sukh Chain, Phulai, Chir, Kail, Deodar, Peepal, Neem, Beri, Jaman, Imli and Chilgoza.

The plantation will be carried out through around 2047 events to be held across the country to plant 41.7 million saplings comparing 40.526 million during the monsoon tree plantation of 2024.

The prime minister said that considering the benefits of the plantation drive in all aspects, the entire nation, especially the youth and farmers, should play their part.

“It will significantly contribute to the betterment of the environment and can help effectively address various diseases,” he remarked.

He said that the impacts of climate change, in recent years, have also necessitated huge efforts for tree plantations.

Referring to the worst climate change-induced floods of 2022 which had caused widespread destruction across the country, he said Pakistan was among the 10 countries in the danger zone considering the impacts of climate change.

Prime Minister Shehbaz said that Pakistan was facing the climate change impacts despite its minimal contributions to greenhouse gases, and urged the people to seek Allah’s blessings during the ongoing holy Ramazan and make efforts for the country’s progress.

According to the official data, the PC-1 of the Revised Upscaling of Green Pakistan Program (2024-28) is in progress which features the plantation of 945 million new plants and maintain 2,221 million existing plants besides improving species and ensuring sustainable forest management, data collection, and scientific forest management.

During the 2019-25 Green Pakistan Program, the plantation was made over an area of 720.916 hectares which also created over 1.42 million man-months of green jobs.