Photo: Akhtar Soomro | Reuters
There are dozens of state-owned and private planting initiatives in Pakistan, where forest cover lags behind average levels across South Asia. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, emissions of which contribute to warming global temperatures. In Clifton, an upscale area of Karachi, Pakistan, one man is on a mission to cool the area with trees. Mulazim Hussain is employed by an urban afforestation project in a government-owned park in Clifton that is run by Shahzad Qureshi. Talking about an area he has transformed that used to be an informal trash dump, Hussain said, “Now there is greenery and happiness. Children come in the evening and play, people come to walk.” The goal in Clifton is to counterbalance rapid urbanization in Karachi, a sprawling port city of 17 million people where breakneck expansion of roads and buildings means there is less space for trees and parkland. Qureshi wanted to provide shade for residents seeking escape from rising temperatures; the trees also attract local wildlife, mitigate urban flooding and provide new sources for food.
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