ISLAMABAD: Pakistani officials said on Monday 80,000 jobs had been offered in the country since March under the nationwide 10 Billion Tree Tsunami Program.
Since Pakistan locked down starting March 23 to try to stem the spread of COVID-19, unemployed day laborers have been given new jobs as “jungle workers,” planting saplings as part of the country’s 10 Billion Tree Tsunami program.
“The meeting was informed that 80,000 jobs were offered during the COVID-19 under 10 BTT project,” a press release from the prime minister’s office said, referring to a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan of the Committee on Climate Change. “Pakistan’s emission growth is 9% below Business as Usual baseline and also below the NDC (Nationally determined commitments).”
“This climate friendly shift has been made possible due to increased forest cover as a result of the successful Billion Tree Tsunami project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the ongoing Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme across the country,” the statement said. “Deforestation rate has significantly been reduced from 12000 hectares/year to 8000 ha/y from 2012-2016 and will further fall with 10BTT success … Pakistan was contributing less than 1% in global emission.”
German think tank, Germanwatch, in its latest report last month described Pakistan as the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change, having witnessed 173 extreme weather events and suffered an estimated loss of $3.8 billion as a consequence between 2000 and 2019.
