Daily Times

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Monday announced that around 800,000 scouts of Pakistan Boys Scouts Association would be engaged for the planting of 540 million trees under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Plantation (TBTTP) project’s spring season activities.

The SAPM, after the signing ceremony of a letter of Understanding (LoU) between the Ministry of Climate Change and a private education services group having countrywide network of schools to become part of the government’s Clean Green Pakistan Movement and TBTTP, said the college students have the opportunity to join Clean Green Champions national level competition to spearhead climate action.

Amin said there were almost 100,000 students enrolled in this private school chain and their participation in Clean Green Pakistan campaign would help divert their energies towards healthy and positive activities of nature preservation. He said the spring plantation drive under TBTTP would kick start tomorrow where scouts from all across the country would be joining plantation activities to achieve the largest plantation target of 540 million trees from February to April.

Speaking on the occasion, Executive Director Beaconhouse College Programme (BCP) Nassir Kasuri said the BCP was excited to become part of the government’s Clean Green Initiative for driving climate action and nature conservation. He added that the College was imparting awareness and education to its students and faculty on climate change. “We wanted to join the Ministry of Climate Change under its framework for a structured and well-coordinated effort on environmental preservation at the national level.”

He said that the LoU would enable the students to engage in positive activities and enhance their information on nature conservation under the expertise of the ministry. Under the LoU, the BCP would have the responsibility to provide the required number of its O and A levels volunteer students, for CGPM and TBTTP ongoing and future initiatives, subject to the consent of parents or guardians.

Moreover, the Institution would also assist the Ministry in the social outreach, content writing and media activities, alongwith collaboration in all departments such as administration, management, media and publications as per the requirement.

The BCP would also make efforts to engage its 45,000 to 50,000 participants nationwide to plant approximately 100,000 trees, provided by MOCC, over the time period of five years. It was underlined that the tree plantation campaign would initiate from Islamabad with 1,500 students involved from across 6 branches of BCP in Islamabad during the Monsoon Plantation under TBTTP.

The ministry would acknowledge the efforts of the participants through certificates and recommendation letters for this specific activity under the banner of CGPM and TBTTP and also provide support in carrying out activities.