ON Sept 23, Greta Thunberg opened the United Nations Climate Action Summit with an angry condemnation of world leaders for failing to combat climate change. Pakistan is among the list of 10 countries most likely to be affected by global warming.

There are many reasons for global warming. Most of them caused by human activity particularly the rapid industrialisation in the last 50 years and the massive deforestation. Owing to these activities earth’s overall temperature has risen and led to alarming developments like shrinking glaciers and ice caps, a rise in ocean levels, food insecurity and health problems. However, it is not too late to tackle this situation.

Certain measures need to be taken now, like reducing the use of fossil fuels and non-biodegradable substances. Waste of all sorts should be recycled while plantation of all sorts should be encouraged on a war-footing. In the case of Pakistan, where barely three per cent is under forest cover, we need to have perennial plantation campaigns. The objective should be to increase our forest area by 20pc every year till we have attained 25pc forest cover.

The most important measure to tackle global warming is for world leaders to sit and chalk out a uniform policy to stop global warming.

Asad Tahir
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2019