Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that his government is working on new master plans for cities which will ring fence their boundaries to limit expansion.
The prime minister was addressing a ceremony to sign an agreement between Ministry of Climate Change and the World Bank.
“Our cities are under stress. They are expanding and encroaching upon green areas. Even the Margalla Hill National Park in Islamabad has been encroached.”
He said that it is important for the nation to avert climate change for “our future generations.”
“Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the face of climate change, but we are not responsible for it. Our carbon emissions are less than one per cent.”
He said that the countries who are the biggest contributors to carbon emission did not acknowledge climate change for a long time.
Now, the world is realizing that without meaningful steps, climate change will have grave impact, said the PM.
“Even in place like Siberia, temperatures have increased. There are bush fires in California and cyclones in Philippines. These are all due to climate change.”
The prime minister emphasized on afforestation and creation of new national parks.
“Our forest cover has decreased, and even in the areas that we consider forests, there is massive encroachments.’
The prime minister said that his government has declared 15 new national parks and these parks will be monitored with the help of technology and satellite images.
