Turkey plants thousands of seedlings in Erbil
Officials participating in the ‘Breath for the Future’ program in Erbil. Photo: AA
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – As part of the ‘Breath for the Future’ program, 12,000 saplings have been planted by the general consulate of Turkey in Erbil, Iraq.
An event was held to plant thousands of saplings in the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where Turkish and Iraqi officials attended, according to TRT World.
The event was attended by former Turkish Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Livestock, Mehmet Mehdi Eker; the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Begard Talabani; the Governor of Erbil, Umit Hosnav; and other officials.
The Turkish Counsel General in Erbil, Mevlut Yakut, stated that woodlands are significantly important to combat global warming.
Yakut indicated that they introduced blue cypress, red pine, and oak trees in line with the soil and temperature of Erbil.
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, announced last March the launch of a major afforestation initiative, which includes planting five million trees in different Iraqi governorates.
Al-Sudani indicated that climate change threatens food, health, environmental, and community security, adding that these threats are represented by the high temperatures, scarcity of rain, and an increase in dust storms, along with a lack of green spaces.
The Iraqi Prime Minister stressed that the Iraqi government is prioritizing the confrontation of the effects of climate change through several projects that contribute to emissions reduction.
These projects include the establishment of renewable energy stations and the rehabilitation of sanitary landfills, in addition to setting up projects to combat desertification and adopting water-regulated irrigation techniques.