Pakistan Eyes Climate Action Through Roadside Orchards
News Desk
Islamabad: In a bold move to merge environmental sustainability with economic opportunity, the federal government has announced a public-private fruit tree plantation initiative along Pakistan’s motorways and highways.
The project is designed not only to curb carbon emissions and bolster green cover but also to generate revenue without straining the national budget.
The plan emerged from a high-level meeting between the Federal Minister for Climate Change Dr Musadik Malik and Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan, held on Monday in Islamabad. The initiative will enable private investors to lease roadside land under a three-year model tailored to climate-appropriate fruit tree cultivation.
“This is a prime example of climate-smart economics,” Dr Malik stated, “We’re leveraging private sector participation to meet our environmental goals while creating economic value through sustainable land use.”
According to officials, the Ministry of Climate Change will offer technical assistance and facilitate access to carbon credit markets, potentially opening a new revenue stream for participants and contributing to Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
A specialized strike team is being constituted within 72 hours to draft a comprehensive implementation roadmap, including a carbon reduction assessment framework. This swift mobilization underscores the urgency of climate action and the government’s commitment to low-carbon growth.
Chairman of the National Highway Authority Muhammad Shehryar Sultan and Inspector General of the National Highways and Motorway Police B.A. Nasir, who also attended the meeting, pledged logistical and administrative support for the plantation initiative.
While full details regarding investor incentives and designated plantation corridors are expected in the coming weeks, the initiative signals a strategic shift toward integrated climate action through public-private collaboration.
Experts believe that if successfully implemented, the program could serve as a model for climate-resilient infrastructure development across the region.
