Ghanaians advised to plant more trees

A Tamale-based non- governmental organization, Save Self Ghana, is calling on stakeholders and Ghanaians to take appropriate actions to mitigate the effects of climate change through tree planting. Speaking at a tree planting event organized by the organization in Tamale, the Executive Director, Prince Kwame Tamakloe, stated that the quest to save the country from the adverse effects of climate change is a collective responsibility. He indicated that, notwithstanding a person’s social status or age, everybody should take part in the fight against climate change. “Climate change effects cannot identify the rich or the poor. Your social status, age or religion should not be an obstacle for you as far as fighting climate change is concerned,” he said. He further advised Ghanaians to use various anniversaries and celebrations as an opportunity to plant trees in their homes and communities. “Imagine it is Christmas and a church decides that they are going to plant a number of trees to mark the occasion, or when they are celebrating anniversaries like silver or golden jubilee. Individuals can also plant trees to mark their birthdays and wedding anniversaries. It is a way of making the anniversary unique,” Mr Tamakloe said Climate change affects human health and well-being through more extreme weather events and wildfires, decreased air quality, and diseases transmitted by insects, food, and water. Human activities, especially emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and land-use change, are the primary drivers of the climate changes observed in the industrial era. Climate disruptions to agriculture have been increasing and are projected to become more severe over the years, a trend that would diminish the security of food supply. This is the third tree planting exercise organized by the NGO in Tamale. They hope to plant more trees in the Northern Region to help carve a defined rainfall pattern and prevent drought. By Georgina Wunkumi Mabe| 3news.com|Ghana]]>