The European Union(EU) and Mr Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive have planted 30 trees at the St. Mary’s R/C Girls’ Basic School, Korle- Gonno to mark the EU Climate Diplomacy Week in Accra.
The exercise was done in partnership with some Ambassadors of EU member states, representative of the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, headteachers and pupils of the St. Mary’s Girls R/C Basic School.
Speaking on this year’s theme, “Re-greening Ghana’’, the MCE said that the world could no longer be oblivious of the effects of climate change.
He said cities like Accra had led in the fight against the effects of climate change and over the last two years partnered the EU on an energy efficiency project and support students in all the females’ senior high schools in Accra.
“I hope today’s trees that we shall plant will send the right signal that Accra and European Union care about the environment and this partnership between EU and the two main cities in Ghana, Accra and Kumasi will yield great environmental dividends.”he said.
Mr Sowah said Accra was exploring ways to plant 100,000 trees next year to help improve on the quality of air, reduce the heat islands that were detected in Accra and to make the environment more lively to encourage walkability.
Her Excellency Diana Acconcia, Head of Delegation of EU to Ghana said the exercise was the core event of the climate week, which would include; planting of trees in Accra.
She said similar exercises would be done on Tuesday October 1, 2019 in Kumasi in the Ashanti region aimed at raising awareness on the need to protect, preserve and restore the forest in Ghana and the world.
The Ambassador said that, forests were essential as some indigenous people depended on it for their livelihood, shade and oxygen.
She said, forests were life and held 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity and were terribly endangered as they were cut and destroyed.
‘‘This tree planting that we are doing is a small contribution, but a symbolic gesture to show young people to reforest. The forest is been destroyed a lot, but not all is lost yet, we can restore and replant the forest. We have done it in Europe in the last 20 years and we can do it in Ghana as well’’ she said.
