Support tree planting drives

This combination of photos shows participants snoozing during the closing session of the COP27 climate conference, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name, early on November 20, 2022. PHOTO/AFP
 

What you need to know:

  • The issue: Save environment
  • Our view: It is crucial that everyone at every level of society plays a role in either reversing or curbing the effects of climate change by engaging in activities as basic as planting more trees. 

Last week, we reported that young workers under the National Organisation of Trade Unions (Notu) pledged to plant 15,000 trees across the country to conserve the environment.

The resolution was made on November 18 during the closure of a five-day Notu young workers’ camp at Katete beach in Mbarara City.

Ms Barbara Badaru, the secretary Notu young workers, said the union has a membership of 250 people from 34 trade unions who resolved that each young worker plants five trees every month, which will translate into 15,000 trees every year (See Daily Monitor November 18, “Notu young workers to plant 15, 000 trees annually”)

With so much going on such as the Ebola outbreak that continues to claim  and disrupt lives, the response plans to the same, attacks on police stations, launching of our first satellite with plans of launching a second one shortly, premature closure of the school term to curb the spread of Ebola, ongoing national exams and market politics, it is quite easy to miss a story about tree planting that for many may seem insignificant and not as urgent as the some of the aforementioned current affairs. But we all know conserving the environment through ventures as basic as planting trees is of high importance. Therefore, the young workers who arrived at that resolution should be applauded and aided in their quest to plant the trees. 

According to National Environment Management Authority, Uganda’s forest cover declines as a result of encroachment for agricultural production, deforestation to produce wood fuel, urbanisation, industrial growth, migration and problems of internally displaced people. And Global Forest Watch reveals that in 2010, Uganda had 6.93Mha of tree cover, extending over 29 percent of its land area and in 2021, it lost 49.2kha of this. 

It is common knowledge that with the loss of tree cover comes a plethora of unfortunate occurrences such as flooding, reduction in rainfall, damage of natural habitats, to mention but a few. We are already victim to many of these. 

Even with world leaders striving to find a way forward in the fight against climate change at the just ended COP27, it is crucial that everyone at every level of society plays a role in either reversing or curbing the effects of climate change by engaging in activities as basic as planting more trees. This is the best way to restore our degraded forests and increase tree cover. 

This combination of photos shows participants snoozing during the closing session of the COP27 climate conference, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name, early on November 20, 2022. PHOTO/AFP

It is, therefore, important that tree planting initiatives are encouraged, applauded and supported.  Hopefully the young workers will follow through and not leave the resolution on paper.