GENERALLY, Pakistanis are generous at verbosity and thrifty at action. The majority of the population department officials and workers tasked to promote family planning on average have eight to 12 children of their own, while those in the education department indulge in embezzling funds and encouraging teacher absenteeism.

The police force works to encourage crime and create artificial law and order situations to serve personal interests and does the biding of its political and feudal masters or patrons.

The forest department is either helpless or is involved in deforestation and encroachment on rapidly dwindling forest land. The Ministry of Climate Change confines itself to issuing statements and blaming the developed countries, though rightly, for climate change impacts on the developing countries, including Pakistan.

Loud claims of billion tree plantation have not materialised into action. We abhor planting the trees and revel in wiping the thin cover of remaining vegetation. It looks like we actually despise greenery.

However, there are rare exceptions and there are a few persons in all departments who ignite a ray of optimism. I spotted one such small but inspiring action on social media. A doctor, an environmentalist from Karachi, stood up to greedy and anti-environment builder, who was bent on clearing the trees planted on streets by the doctor lining his apartment block. The doctor, despite being a busy professional, put up a resolute legal fight and succeeded in saving 130 trees from falling victim to the greedy builder.

If every Pakistani gathers courage to resist the onslaught of deforestation in every nook and corner of Pakistan, and undertakes tree plantation and protection, we can make the country green again, and regain the status of 25 per cent area covered with trees. We can thereby tackle a plethora of problems related to climate change. And, indeed, we can sort things out in different domains of national life by adopting the same approach.

Gulsher Panhwer
Karachi

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2023