ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday asked the Ministry of Climate Change for the correct number of saplings planted across the country under the Prime Minister’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme.

“In fact, it is not a 10 billion but a 3.9 billion tree project. Why don’t people tell the truth?” PTI MNA Tahir Sadiq said during the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change.

His remarks came during a presentation by Secretary Climate Change Naheed Durrani about actions taken to address the negative effects of climate change. She mentioned government plans such as transfer to Euro Five fuel standards, Ten Billion Tree Project and the electric vehicle policy.

The secretary said her ministry was encouraging electric vehicle as a measure to reduce levels of vehicular emissions in the air.

She also briefed the committee on the Paris Agreement, which called for a reduction in global average temperatures. In 2016, 197 countries signed the treaty, agreeing that the temperature would not be allowed to exceed 1.5 degrees world over.

“Our share of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions is zero per cent. In contrast, Pakistan is one of the worst affected countries by the negative effects of climate change,” she said.

She added that Pakistan will have to submit its report on the situation of smoke emission in the atmosphere to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November this year.

She told members that Pakistan has to take all the provinces on board to jointly struggle for reduction of emission in the atmosphere.

However, MNA Tahir Sadiq was also critical of the ministry regarding electric vehicles.

“What does the Ministry of Climate Change have to do with electric vehicles? The issue of electric vehicles is the responsibility of the industry. Let them do it.” He said the Ministry of Climate Change should focus on its plans such as the 10 billion tree project.

While the committee inquired about the present status of the Billion Trees project, chairperson of the committee MNA Munaza Hussain directed that in near future a meeting should be arranged at Gilgit and the Galiyat to physically examine the planted trees to ascertain the government’s claims.

The committee further showed its reservation on operation of stone crushing units situated near the Khanpur Dam and directed the ministry to submit its report at its next meeting.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2021