By Javairia Shafiq

Pakistan is the 7th most vulnerable country to climate change and global warming. More than 52,400 people have died as a result of over 11,000 extreme weather events and losses between the time period of 1997 to 2016. This reflects at least seven causalities on daily basis. The country is facing a serious climate change which can add further woes to the problem.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched the ‘Clean and Green Pakistan’ campaign by planting a tree on October 13, 2018. The government has fixed a target to plant 10 billion trees in the country. The premier made an appeal to people belonging from all walk of life to come forward and contribute to this noble cause.

Punjab University being the largest and oldest alma mater of Pakistan has taken the responsibility to plant 100,000 trees. PU Institute of Communication students realizing the sense of responsibility have launched an awareness campaign ‘Students For Green Campus’ under the dynamic leadership of Haroon Akram, an environmental journalist and faculty member at their institute. The campaign aims to create stakeholders and plant more and more trees to help boost up the Prime Minister’s drive.

As part of the campaign ICS student delegates visited more than 70 departments, institutes and colleges of PU to ultimately to spread awareness among 45000 on-campus students. In this connection a seminar is being arranged on November 13, 2018 where political figures, journalists, environmental scientists would participate and the message would spread further through media in all spheres on the society.

Other tools of the campaign include a Facebook page, a documentary, posters pamphlets, banners, standees, awareness desk, a media talk show and an awareness walk from ICS to Institute of Agricultural Sciences. The importance of trees in our daily lives are positively highlighted in a documentary, which will be played in seminar for the audience.

PU ICS In-charge Director Dr. Noshina Saleem said the campaign was very unique and the students were actively and enthusiastically participating in this activity aimed to spread awareness among the university.

PU ICS Advisor Student Affairs and Development Journalism Programme Coordinator Mr. Shabbir Sarwar has appreciated students and their course instructor Mr. Haroon Akram for launching “Students for Green Campus” campaign. He said, “the sole purpose of plantation drive was to keep the surroundings clean, green and pollution-free, besides resisting global warming and adverse effects of climate change like the recent issue of smog in Lahore city.”

Mr. Haroon Akram, the star behind this campaign, environment journalism course instructor and an environment activist, said the basic purpose of the campaign was to train students on camping planning with special reference to spreading awareness on environment and significance of trees in our country.

Arsalan Haider, a senior student of development journalism, said the basic purpose of the campaign was to create awareness among the students and other stakeholders about the protection and conservation of forests and the fragile ecosystem.