Mamta Sharma
Tree plantation at local level can at as a game changer to fight against climate change and reap enormous benefits showered by trees.
A girl named (xyz) planted a tree on her birthday, now after 10 years the tree is fully grown up and absorbing approximately 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and generating 260 pounds of oxygen per year. But it is just a tip of iceberg because this plant is generating huge benefits, few of them like providing shade, habitat for birds and other living beings, fruits etc. Now imagine in a country like India with a population of 1.3 billion, if people develop a habit of planting trees what a huge change it can bring for our environment.
We know that climate change is a reality and it is happening now and our country is among the most vulnerable countries in the world. As per the IPCC Report, the world is set to breach the limit of 1.5˚C between 2030 and 2052, at current rate of emissions. To tackle this problem government has taken several steps and as a result forest cover in the country increased by 5,188 sq. kilometers in last two years (ISFR-2019), but this is not a panacea for all problems, much more is needed to be done and planting trees at decentralized level can be a game changer in this regard.
Being the responsible citizens of our country we can’t leave everything on government we have to take some responsibilities and planting trees is not a back breaking job; all we have to do is just to plant trees at individual level as Mahatma Gandhi has said that, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. It is surprising that trees provide uncountable benefits other than acting as a sink of carbon dioxide. The list is exhaustive, but here are the few benefits.
Firstly, according to a study if there are more trees in urban areas, people living there have lower risk of developing psychological distress and better overall health, this shows that plants have huge impact on our mental health and they can act as a bulwark against the rising cases of depression and other mental health related issues. Secondly, tree plantation can be done in uncultivated lands or waste lands like along the road sides, community land, govt. office premises, school premises, turning backyards into mini forests etc. thus making best use of uncultivated land. We can adopt Miyawaki method of afforestation, where dense native forest can be built in short time. Thirdly, trees cool our surroundings in hot summers thus limiting the use of electricity. A study claims that a healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners. Fourthly, trees reduce water overflow and soil erosion by storing water and breaking the force of rainfall, thus we can save all the water that flows down the concrete roads and goes waste.
So let’s make a lifelong investment in the environment by planting trees and one of the best things we can start is planting trees in our neighborhood, and secure a safe and prosperous future for our coming generations. |
