Ghana: Let’s Plant Trees To Mitigate Impact Of Heatwave–Akufo-Addo Urges Ghanaians

Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has noted that African countries risk experiencing excess heatwaves if care is not taken.

This, he said, is the reason why Ghana initiated ‘Green Ghana Day’ to grow more trees to mitigate the ripple effects of extreme weather and climate change.

He explained that some 42 million trees have been planted so far, with at least 80 per cent of them surviving.

President Akufo-Addo made these remarks at the commemoration of this year’s ‘Green Ghana’ tree planting initiative, which aims to plant ten million trees across the country.

He called on all Ghanaians to make it a duty to plant a tree and nurture it to maturity.

President Akufo-Addo also called on the private sector to financially support the Green Ghana project, aiming to lessen the burden on the public purse.

Highlighting the alarming impacts of climate change, President Akufo-Addo referenced the dire situation in South Sudan, the horne of Africa, where extreme heatwaves are threatening human habitation.

He noted that air pollution is responsible for approximately 6.7 million deaths annually, and biodiversity loss continues to endanger ecosystems worldwide.

“The science tells us that forests play a crucial role in sustaining life on earth and tackling the triple planetary crises,” the President stated.

He pointed out that Agriculture, Forest and Land Use (AFOLU) activities contribute significantly to Ghana’s greenhouse gas emissions, and maintaining forests is essential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation and pollution control.

He noted that since the inception of the Green Ghana Project, over 42 million trees have been planted, and the 2024 goal is to add another 10 million, bringing the total to 52 million trees in just four years.

This ambitious target, he said, aligns with Ghana’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030.

President Akufo-Addo called on all Ghanaians to embrace the theme of this year’s Green Ghana Day, ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow’.

He urged citizens from all walks of life to participate in the national tree planting exercise, emphasising the importance of nurturing the planted trees to maturity to achieve a sustainable future.

He also appealed to the private sector to support this noble venture, emphasising that it should not burden the public treasury.

“Let us go out, not only to plant trees, but grow them for a ‘Green Tomorrow.’ This is a duty we owe not only to the current generation but to generations yet to come,” he declared.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, praised President Akufo-Addo’s unwavering support for the Green Ghana initiative.

He highlighted the President’s leadership in environmental protection and forest restoration since the programme’s inception in 2021.

Minister Jinapor expressed gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces for their vital role in the programme’s organisational success, particularly in the logistics and distribution of seedlings while announcing their planting of over 1000 tree seedlings as their quota to support the 2024 Green Ghana Day.

The Minister outlined Ghana’s significant strides in global forest management and climate action.

At COP26 in Glasgow, Ghana played a pivotal role in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.

This leadership has been recognised globally, leading to Ghana’s co-chairing of the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) alongside the United States.

This partnership aims to balance forest protection with food production and advance nature-based climate solutions.

Highlighting the impact of these initiatives, Mr Jinapor noted that Ghana was the second GDB country in Africa and the third globally to receive results-based payments from the World Bank’s Carbon Fund for reducing emissions.

“The Green Ghana Day has become a cornerstone of these efforts, with the survival rate of planted trees increasing significantly each year, from 67% in 2021 to 81% in 2023. This year’s theme, ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow’, reflects the commitment to not just planting trees but ensuring their growth and contribution to the fight against climate change,” he added.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com