Jim McMahon

When it comes to climate change, Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable nations. Its people, however, want to change that. In 2019, Pakistan launched the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami initiative, with a goal of planting 10 billion trees by 2028. (Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that causes climate change, and they can also combat erosion on some of Pakistan’s steep landscapes.) The national program, which has already planted one billion saplings, is an expansion of a campaign that began in 2015 in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Now, residents of all walks of life—from children to politicians—are getting involved, planting and nurturing 21 different species of trees around the country. The government is also investing in other eco-friendly efforts, such as renewable energy and electric taxis. “We’ve been decimating Earth’s natural resources for generations, but the good news is that nature has an extraordinary capacity for renewal,” Prime Minister Imran Khan told CNN recently. “We must devote the years ahead to conserving that which is whole and restoring that which is broken.”