On Monday 13th of November, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) joined Kenyatta University in planting tress at the University Main campus, following the government directive to have Kenyans plant at least 150 million trees countrywide.
The initiative is intended to help fight climate change, as each Kenyan is being encouraged to plant at least two seedlings, leading to the 100-million target.
Trees help tackle global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Therefore, the government is making available about 150 million seedlings in public nurseries.
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Kenya’s forest cover stands at about 7% but the government has set aside more than 80million dollars this financial year as part of its effort to increase it to more than 10%.
Trees store carbon, one of the main drivers of global heating. In contrast, deforestation accelerates climate change: it halts plant photosynthesis so trees are no longer taking up carbon. It is also often accompanied by burning, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide.
The climate crisis is causing worsening droughts in the Horn of Africa, including Kenya, where rains have failed for five seasons in a row.
The Kenyan environment, climate change and forestry ministry said it would provide tree seedlings for what it said was “an unprecedented show of commitment by the government towards our climate action obligations”.
“It is a moment for Kenyans to stand in solidarity in the defence of our environment, it’s a ‘hummingbird’ contribution day, all of us pulling together to fight back the climate change crisis,” said the Cabinet Secretary for environment Soipan Tuya.
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