Plant a Tree in Karachi - Help Climate Change

According to Dawn newspaper, Inspector General Forest Syed Nasir Mahmood explained in a lecture at Karachi University, "If plantation efforts were taken in Karachi on scientific lines as is happening in other countries, Karachi’s temperature could be brought down by at least six to 10 degrees centigrade."

Trees create an ecosystem to provide habitat and food for birds and other animals.Trees absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses, such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, from the air and release oxygen. One large tree can supply a day's supply of oxygen for four people. This is critical for a city like Karachi where so many die from dehydration and heatstroke and pollution rates are dangerous.

According to Inspector General Forest Mahmood  , the forestry sector is facing great destruction worldwide despite the fact that this sector contributes greatly to national development goals and provides more than eight per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in some developing countries. Demographic factors, including population growth, density, distribution, migration, and urbanisation were important drivers of deforestation. Forest fires were also a key factor contributing to deforestation, he said.

Pakistan had lost significant forest cover over the years and urgently needed steps to counter adverse effects of climate change. That’s only possible through promoting forest culture in the country, he concluded.

We need your help so we can plant more trees.  Earth Day is just around the corner.  You can make such a difference!

Thank you so much for donating to Plant a Tree in Karachi - Help Climate Change. We're so close to our goal of raising $3000 to plant 250 trees. Sometimes it's the little things that matter. Just the basics. The laws of nature have trees that give oxygen as well as help regulate temperature. These are blessed things that we as mankind should respect and look after.  As the climate in Karachi changes by one degree every year, it is critical that we step up and help!  The Chief Justice has now said the city is under climate emergency fueled by a growing population that we are not equipped for.

Your donation is truly going to make a difference. Help us start planting by completing our goal of $3000.  Donate today the last day of the year or the beginning of the New Year just $10 to plant one tree or $20 for two. If all 33 donors receiving this message donates $10, we will raise $333 and be at $2859, and if everyone donates $20, we will easily meet our goal.

Let the New Year begin with planting of trees and climate change for the better! 

Thank you!

Pakistan is seventh on the list of the countries mostly likely to be affected by global warming and has one of the highest deforestation rates in Asia. Decades of tree felling have reduced the country's forests to less than 3 percent of its land area.Local and international experts have noted the negative impacts Pakistan faces due to the effects of global warming.

This year the southern city of Nawabshah experienced its hottest-ever April. The temperature soared to 50.2 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), the highest temperature ever measured on the planet during April, an expert on global weather extremes told The Washington Post earlier this year.

Moreover, officials at Pakistan's Ministry of Climate Change have warned that surging temperatures in the country's northern areas are aggravating social, economic and environmental challenges facing the mountainous communities.

"More and more glacial lakes are forming in remote mountain valleys in Gilgi-Baltistan and Chitral district because of warming temperatures. These pose serious risks to the lives and livelihoods of the climate-vulnerable communities," it said.

There are more than 5,000 glaciers in northern Pakistan, but many of them are melting at a much faster rate because of soaring average temperatures in the mountainous valleys, the ministry said in its detailed study.

"In 2010, there were about 2,400 glacier lakes in Pakistan's north. Presently, there are over 3,000 glacial lakes, 52 of them in the north on the verge of outburst anytime," the ministry added.

Keeping all of this in mind, we are not keeping this project to ourselves only in fact trying to engage as many people as we could as this particular matter needs more and more attention and for that we thank our wonderful donors as well for all their help as your little help is going to make huge difference.

Together, we are transforming lives.

At Dawood Global Foundation, we are continuously working towards educating people more and more about Climate Change and its effects on our lives and the things we should do to fight against these changes. Recently a report was issued which explains the effects of climate change in South Asia.

The report, ‘South Asia’s Hotspots: The Impact of Temperature and Precipitation Changes’, has alarmed that changes in average weather in South Asia are projected to have overall negative impacts on living standards in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The region is recognised as being very vulnerable to climate change. Its varied geography combines with regional circulation patterns to create a diverse climate.

In Pakistan, analysis of the report reveals that expanding electrification by 30pc could reduce the impact of average weather on living standards from a negative 2.9pc to negative 2.5pc.

Thus, electrification alone may not completely overcome the adverse effects of changes in average weather on living standards. This indicates that additional inspection could be warranted to better understand how to prevent the emergence of hotspots within the country.

The glaciated northern parts - the Himalayas, Karakoram, and the Hindu Kush mountains - have annual average temperatures at or below freezing, whereas much of the Indian subcontinent averages 25°C to 30°C. Both the hot and cold extremes are challenging for human well-being, and climate change heightens these challenges.

Average annual temperatures in many parts of South Asia have increased significantly in recent decades, but unevenly. Western Afghanistan and southwestern Pakistan have experienced the largest increases, with annual average temperatures rising by 1°C to 3°C from 1950 to 2010.

The scientific literature suggests that such events will grow in intensity over the coming decades. Dhaka, Karachi, Kolkata, and Mumbai – metropolitan areas that are home to more than 50 million people - face a substantial risk of flood-related damage over the next century.

In India and Pakistan, water-stressed areas will be more adversely affected compared to the national average.

While negative impacts are sizable under the climate scenarios of ‘climate-sensitive’ and ‘carbon-sensitive’, they are more severe under the carbon-intensive scenario. Both show rising temperatures throughout the region in the coming decades, with the carbon-intensive scenario leading to greater increases. Expected changes in rainfall patterns are more complex in both, the report says.

By 2050, under the carbon-intensive scenario, the declines are projected to be 6.7pc for Bangladesh, 2.8pc for India, 2.9pc for Pakistan, and 7pc for Sri Lanka.

unlike sea-level rise and extreme weather events, changes in average weather will affect inland areas the most. For most countries, changes in average weather will also reduce growth of their GDP per capita, compared to what it would be under present climate conditions. The GDP losses are greater for severe hotspot regions.

Keeping all of this in mind, we believe there is more and more need to fight towards climate change and each one of us will have to pay our part and all you need to do is to plant a tree or support or help others to plant trees as that is not to secure the future of our next generation anymore, in fact it is to secure our generation.

We are playing our part in the society by planting more and more trees, and we would like to thank all the wonderful donors and supporters to make it possible for us.