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Parliament marked the Green Ghana Project with Rtd. Hon. Alban S.K. Bagbin, his two deputies, the Clerk to Parliament and a number of Parliamentary officials planting trees in the precinct of the House.
Members of Parliament, on the other hand, joined the exercise in their constituencies after Friday’s plenary was cancelled to enable them to travel to participate.
At a short ceremony in Parliament before the tree planting began in earnest, the Speaker in a short address, described the exercise as an investment initiative for the future hence the need to commit to nursing, nurturing and monitoring the seedlings in a manner to ensure their progress.
The project, he said, is a special opportunity to recover the vegetation cover that Ghana and the world at large have lost over time through human activities.
He indicated that trees are the biggest plants on the planet and very essential in the lives of humans and animals and quoting from the Bible, said God has given specific instruction not to destroy trees because they are food for man.
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“Its importance cannot, therefore, be underrated as their function expands to meet the needs generated by our modern lifestyles,” he said.
He lamented, however, that through human destructive practices, the natural environment has been degraded and the forest reserves virtually depleted.
He said, “The world as a whole is now confronted with the threats of desertification, droughts, irregular patterns of rainfall and all the attendant challenges including food security.
“The time to engage and address this global challenge, I believe is now. In this regard, it is imminent that as a country we continue to pursue policies that are socially just, economically viable and ecologically sustainable,” he stated.
He hailed the Green Ghana Project as a commendable initiative that is less costly, all involving and most participatory.
The Project is an initiative by the Government for the planting of five million trees across the country.
As part of the initiative, a formula has been worked out for economic trees such as Timber, Wawa, Nim, Rosewood and Shea trees to be planted.
The Speaker urged all Ghanaians to contribute to this national development agenda and expressed Parliament’s commitment to the promotion of a sustainable green environment in Ghana.
Members of Parliament, he said, are also participating in the exercise of planting trees in their constituencies and stressed the progress of the planting exercise will be duly monitored.
Clerk to Parliament, Cyril K.O. Nsiah, in his remarks indicated that Parliament, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including the National Investment Bank, Parliament Branch, is planting over one hundred seedlings within its precincts and the MPs’ residential area at Sakumono.
According to him, the exercise is significant and timely, particularly in an era where climate change has become one of the daunting challenges facing the world, and Ghana battling with the devastating effects of Galamsey.
“As we become increasingly confronted with the harsh realities of environmental degradation, we are left with no other option than to embrace initiatives that have the aim at greening our land, reclaiming our degraded forest cover and improving the quality of air, as well as ensuring environmental sustainability,” he stated.
He pledged the commitment of Parliament to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 15 to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, as well as halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
