Bring back the green

Tree cover has shrunken rapidly in the country for several reasons, including poverty, unemployment, increase in population and the absence of alternative energy sources. Environment and climate experts say that forest cover plays a critical role in regulating the Earth’s climate through the carbon cycle. The green cover removes carbon from the atmosphere because trees have a good store of carbon in leaves woody tissues, roots and the organic matter in soil.

Due to massive deforestation, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases are increasing because trees were the main source of absorbing these gases. Deforestation is the second leading contributor of carbon emission worldwide after the burning of fossil fuels. Therefore, there is a strong need to conserve and protect the country’s forest resources. Also, there is a need to control deforestation and increase the area under forest. Trees help fight the detrimental impacts of climate change such as floods, land erosion and land stabilisation. Being highly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of climate change on socioeconomic sectors, we can cope with these negative impacts with the help of our forests.

Khan Faraz

Peshawar