Nairobi,
24 February 2009 - The world's armies and
UN peacekeepers around the globe should
join the Billion Tree Campaign as it strives
to reach its target of 7 billion trees planted
by the end of 2009, according to Nobel Peace
Laureate Wangari Maathai.
Speaking during the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)'s Governing
Council meeting, Wangari Maathai, who is
the co-patron of the Billion Tree Campaign,
appealed to Heads of State around the world.
"Imagine all soldiers
marching for the planet," the Nobel
Peace Prize Laureate said.
"While the armies
of the world are waiting to fight an enemy
that comes with a gun, we have another enemy,
an unseen enemy, an enemy that is destroying
our environment," she added. "The
enemy that takes away our topsoil, takes
away our waters, destroys our forests, destroys
the air we breathe, clears the forest."
"This is the unseen
enemy and it cannot be fought with a gun
? this enemy can be fought with a tree,"
Wangari Maathai said. "So you can imagine
how wonderful it would be if every soldier
on this planet started seeing himself and
herself as a soldier for the planet ? holding
a gun on one side and a tree seedling on
the other, to fight this unseen enemy which
is actually more dangerous to us than the
other enemy."
Her words come as a
growing number of governments, communities
and people around the world join the Billion
Tree Campaign. The campaign, which is under
the patronage of Wangari Maathai and His
Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco,
has now catalyzed the planting of 2.6 billion
trees in 165 countries around the world,
far exceeding its original target.
On 22 February, Peruvian
President Alan Garcia Perez personally planted
the 40 millionth tree in Lima, concluding
the country's National Tree Campaign of
Afforestation and Reforestation. Peru plans
to plant another 60 million trees by 2010.
So far, the roll of
honour of the countries where the biggest
number of trees have been planted is headed
by Ethiopia (700 million trees), Mexico
(470 million trees) and Turkey (400 million
trees).
Obama's 'green budget'
provides hope for economy & climate
change
President Barak Obama's
plan to bailout the U.S economy relies on
a carbon cap-and-trade system that includes
an 80 billion dollar investment in renewable
energy programmes.
By forcing heavy polluters
to buy credits from companies that pollute
less, the programme penalizes companies
that emit the most greenhouse gases, while
rewarding the country's "greenest"
business enterprises.
Speaking to Congress,
Tuesday, the US President said that building
financial incentives to fight global warming,
was the way forward and that economic recovery
is inextricably linked to green energy.
"To truly transform
our economy, protect our security, and save
our planet from the ravages of climate change,
we need to ultimately make clean, renewable
energy the profitable kind of energy,"
Obama told lawmakers.
The 'green budget' signals
a significant US push to slow down climate
change.
Mayors of Major African
Cities Voice Concerns Over Climate Change
Despite their relatively
low contribution to global warming, African
cities are being disproportionately affected
by rising emissions.
This was one of the
conclusions that emerged from a discussion
on African cities and climate change on
Friday. The dialogue was part of a two day
conference of mayors of African capital
cities being hosted by UN-HABITAT.
Adam Kimbisa, the mayor
of Tanzania's capital, Dar es Salaam, observed
that a continent that contributes relatively
little to climate change was suffering severely
because of it. "Climate change did
not start yesterday, and not in Africa.
It started years ago, somewhere else"
said Kimbisa, in reference to Europe's 18th
century Industrial Revolution.
Concern over climate
change was expressed most vocally by the
mayors of coastal cities such as Dar es
Salaam, Moroni and Banjul, and small island
states such as Comoros and Seychelles. Marie-Antoinette
Alexis, the mayor of Seychelles capital
Victoria, remarked:
"All countries
must work together to combat climate change.
In the Seychelles, our 116 islands are on
the front line. We can lose our beaches,
our tourism, our land and our way of life,
if something is not done quickly."
Adding to Alexis' concerns
Samba Faal, the mayor of Banjul, capital
of Gambia, observed that a one metre rise
in sea level near his city would result
in a fifty percent loss in landmass coverage.
Since most of Banjul is one metre below
sea level, such a scenario would pose a
serious threat to human settlements, health
and food security
Still, the negative
impact of climate change is not confined
to seaside cities. Mahamat Zène Bada,
the mayor of Chad's capital N'djamena, noted
that irregular rainfall patterns and deforestation
in and around the city had led to major
flooding in 1999, 2001 and 2008. The city
is flanked by two rivers and most people
rely on wood products for energy, which
causes the deforestation.
Climate change
is one of many problems afflicting African
cities, emphasised Adam Kimbisa mayor of
Dar es Salaam. In his address he spoke about
the problems all African cities face. He
said, "Our cities cannot cope with
five to six percent population growth. We
can't cope in education, housing, health
or water. Our cities are overwhelmed."
