The U.S. Consulate General in Karachi broke ground on a “U.S. – Pakistan Friendship Garden” in Clifton Urban Forest in celebration of Arbor Day, April 30. Located in the heart of Karachi, the addition to the urban forest will be a sustainable symbol of the United States’ partnership with Pakistan to tackle the climate crisis.
“We are investing in the health and well-being of the Karachi community,” said Consul General Silberstein. “Addressing the climate crisis is a team effort and together we can conserve and nurture forests, even in urban areas, to help improve the air we all breathe.”
The U.S. Consulate, joined by Sindh Secretary for Environment, Climate Change, and Coastal Development Mr. Aslam Ghauri and Acting Consul General of Japan, Mr. Ashida Katsunori, is partnering with Urban Forest to build on local initiatives to increase tree coverage throughout Karachi. The “U.S.-Pakistan Friendship Garden” will help reduce pollutants, improve air quality, and reduce the harmful impact of urban flooding and extreme heat events.
Climate change and environmental diplomacy are top priorities for the United States. “In his address at the Chesapeake Foundation’s seminar April 19, 2021, on ‘Tackling the Crisis and Seizing the Opportunity: America’s Global Climate Leadership,’ U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken rightly remarked, “The costs of the climate crisis fall disproportionately on the people in our society who can least afford it. But it’s also true that addressing climate change offers one of the most powerful tools we have to fight inequity and systemic racism. The way we respond can help break the cycle.”
Urban Forest was formed in Karachi in 2016 to create natural forests using the Miyawaki Method, a planting system that uses minimal water and supports sustainable urban gardens. Urban Forest has over 30,000 trees growing in sustainable ecosystems. The “U.S. – Pakistan Friendship Garden” was made possible by a US$4,000 grant and the efforts of a corps of U.S. diplomats assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Karachi.
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