Fighting climate change by planting trees
The Provincial Office of the DA launched their “Plant Trees to Fight Climate Change” campaign in Newtown, Mhluzi.
The first tree was planted by Provincial Leader Jane Sithole, Provincial Chairperson Bosman Grobler and Annerie Weber, a member of Parliament serving on the Environment, Fisheries and Forestry portfolio committee and manager of this campaign.
“Trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, storing carbon in the trees and soil and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. So when we cut down trees for firewood, to make place for infrastructure or any other reasons, the trees are not replaced and we have a lot more CO2 in the air than there should be. Therefore planting trees is one of the primary strategies to fight climate change,” Ms Weber said at the ceremony.
She said that it is also important that the right type of trees are planted, “It is always good to plant indigenous trees in the area where you live.”
The trees that were planted on Saturday were white karee, black karee, wild olive and white stinkwood.
“As members of the community, we have all felt the effects of climate change, namely increased heat, drought, insect outbreaks, declining water supplies, flooding and erosion.”
The DA asks the community to get involved and plant a tree wherever they see the need.
They thanked Ninfa Tuinsentrum for their guidance on the correct trees and sponsoring the compost for planting the trees.
“Let us all take hands and give Middelburg our contribution to fight climate change and make a difference. This will be a continuous campaign.”
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