KARACHI (National Times) President Asif Ali Zardari has called for increasing the national forest cover by planting more trees to help mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and global warming.

“Pakistan is one of

the most vulnerable countries to climate change

and global warming. I urge the youth and civil

society to help increase forest cover and plant more trees to mitigate these adverse effects,” Zardari said on Sunday.

The president made these remarks while planting a neem sapling at Bilawal House, Karachi, as part of the annual Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign. August 18 also marks National Tree Plantation Day.

According to the president, neem is an environmentally friendly tree, offering numerous benefits such as cleaner air, cooler shade, and natural mosquito repellent properties.

He recalled Benazir Bhutto’s first tenure as prime minister when he served as the minister for climate, during which he initiated a campaign to plant neem trees across the country.

“The need to plant trees has become of paramount importance given the rising temperatures in Pakistan,” he added.