Climate budget |
AS Pakistan navigates intense climate vulnerability, the federal budget for FY26-27 allocates Rs2.478 billion to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). While this allocation signals a policy acknowledgement of environmental threats, an objective examination reveals a disconnect between financial inputs and tangible outcomes. By analysing funding lines (afforestation, capacity building and urban strategies) against realities on the ground, we can evaluate whether these public funds serve genuine ecological preservation or merely fuel profit loops.
The centrepiece of the ministry’s portfolio is the ‘Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme’, consuming Rs2.335bn (over 94 per cent of the budget). On paper, massive tree plantation drives are laudable. However, evaluating this expenditure requires looking beyond the number of saplings planted to assess the broader ecosystem.
Pakistan suffers from one of the highest rates of deforestation in Asia, driven by timber mafias, unregulated urban sprawl and agricultural conversion. While the government spends billions planting fragile saplings, mature forests which possess superior carbon........