Why plant trees?by Vivian Nabisere | 04-11-2021 20:32 |
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 Why plant trees? Climate change is a change in weather patterns which is caused by carbon dioxide and other green house gases. Today, climate change can be seen in various occurrences such as global warming, desertification, extreme weather events and wildfires, which has made timely mitigation efforts very crucial. Mitigation is an anthropogenic intervention to reduce the sources or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases (IPCC, 2001a). One of these impactful actions is Planting trees. But why is planting trees considered an effective mitigation strategy? Trees sequester atmospheric carbon by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and using it in their photosynthesis. Though all plants can do this, the prominent size and longevity of trees renders them able to sequester a significant amount of carbon from the atmosphere. Trees regulate to rainfall formation through evapo-transpiration. They are also crucial in desertification control. This is evident in afforestation being a major activity in the Great Green Wall project in Africa, that aims towards restoration of degraded land in arid and semi-arid regions. Trees are also windbreaks through providing protection to bith humans and animals against strong winds, which are becoming more frequent in Uganda nowadays. For reasons above and more, tree planting campaigns are a popular positive response towards climate change. Proactively, the first step before tree planting is sustainable forest management which involves the administrative, legal, technical, economic, social and environmental aspects of the conservation and use of forests. This is important now, more than ever because we are losing many forests to deforestation, degradation and wildfires and this is accelerating climate change. Most importantly, planting the right tree in the suitable environment for it to flourish is crucial for anyone in action. References Causes of Climate Change https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/climate-change/causes-of-climate-change FAO https://www.fao.org/sustainable-forests-management/en/ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200521-planting-trees-doesnt-always-help-with-climate-change Image source: Wikimedia Commons |
