(A personal green world project to build consciousness on the great importance of trees in Eastern Nigeria through the media as my humble contribution to our world)
The earth today is loosing trees at a fast rate than expected. It seems that we are not realizing the dangerous implications of living in a world without trees.
An environment without trees is an environment without nature. It is an environment that hates life and beauty.
When you come to a house without trees and natural plants it shows a house lived in or owned by people who are not conscious of what nature is all about. Plant even a single tree or flowering plant in your compound. It does not have to be imported foreign flowering plants. Our native trees also provide beauty as well as provide fruits to serve our needs than foreign flowering plants. It shows that you are truly a human being. The gaseous exchange between man and plants is a mysterious symbiotic interaction between man and plants to boost human health.
We must understand that we need more trees to boost global carbon sink. It is unfortunate that we in Africa neglect the importance of trees. A tree is more beneficial to man than expensive cars!
Trees help to sustain life on earth. Trees provide us with shades from the scorching sun. Trees help to moderate temperature. Trees provide us with fruits, food, flowers and beauty.
Trees boost the Flora and Fauna profile of an environment.
Without trees we will be facing desertification that threatens our existence.
Trees help to protect our rivers and streams from drying up. They reduce the rate of evaporation of our open water sources. They help to check erosion more effectively.
Trees are beautiful. We need them around us, especially those that do not grow too tall. We need mango, we need pear, we need orange, we need apple trees, we need pawpaw and every manner of tree that God has endowed our world with.
Our communities need to map out land for tree planting as a way to preserve certain species of plants. Communities that have land should do this before it is too late. Our governments should embark on conscientizing our rural communities.
While we wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ, there is nothing wrong with planting trees and there is nothing wrong with planning our community and individual lives in alignment with nature. Our lack of interest in nature predisposes us to chase after shadows and frivolities. It robs us of the power for engagement and interaction with nature.
Trees in our alma maters are fast going, trees in our homes are fast going. Send trees to your alma mater. Organize youths and elders of your community for tree planting to conserve our forests and preserve our heritage.
Why is it that we came into the world and saw trees planted by our so called “uneducated” ancestors, we who claim to be educated are not planting new trees for the generation coming after us? Tree planting is for children, adults, women and men, educated and uneducated.
Have you ever asked why our earth roads are easily washed away by erosion? It is because of the huge release of rain waters into our roads from our modern houses built with corrugated iron sheets and the pressure from our cars on such untared rural roads in addition to the number of trees we cut down during rural electrification. Therefore, we need shorter trees that will not grow to collide with electric poles and wires to reduce excessive erosion and heat waves.
Our leaders do not know these things because of their addiction to materialism and less mental development, but it would have been better if they knew this.So we have to help to reenforce our natural environment. It is a great act of development and civilization. Building expensive mansions without trees to moderate the temperature is a big tragedy that silently threatens our existence.
Living side by side with nature is a great experience. It is a great romance with beauty and nature!.
Those who answer leaders should show the way. Leadership is not about collecting money and awarding contracts. It includes supporting life through agriculture.
Please stop destroying our environment by felling trees randomly. Replant if you cut down any. Promote tree planting. Our native trees are gradually going extinct. Please plant ugba, ukwa, udara, uziza etc where space is available. We cannot be wiser than our God who gave us these trees from the beginning of creation.
Why do we cut trees during burials and other useless ceremonies? Do we think at all? It is better to prune where necessary than cutting down trees for one ceremony or the other. Ceremonies come and go, but life continues. A living tree is of more importance to living human beings.
Support my campaign for tree planting. Let us beautify our environment with trees. Flowers are needed around us. We need trees for their medicinal and nutritional values.
Our world without trees is a world without life and nature. Let us provide habitats for birds and animals.
Plant trees as much as possible, wherever and whenever water or rain is available. The rapid destruction of our ecosystem calls for an expedited redemption approach in the South East, Nigeria and entire world. Take a personal step towards addressing this challenge.
It is very unfortunate that we as individuals are not taking individual steps even as government which should lead in this direction has done nothing to evoke consciousness in the citizens. Today our streets and public buildings are left bare, inviting the scorching sun to deal with the citizens. It is truly unfortunate, especially in the continued erosion of our environment by wind and rain water.
We all need to be reminded that posterity will not be fair to us if we fail to plant all manner of trees in compliance with the dictates of nature. Our local trees and vegetables are as important as those from the external parts of the world.
We need to boost agriculture as an integral aspect of this call. Plant pepper, tomato, onion, scent leaves, bitter leaf etc for our food, aesthetics and medicine. Plant cash crops. They are beautiful and needed for our food supplies.
Spread this message across the length and breadth of Nigeria and Africa.
Emmanuel Chukwu is a journalist, poet and print evangelist
