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EACH DAY, 2.47 MILLION TREES ARE CUT DOWN. HOW LONG BEFORE THE CONCRETE OUTWEIGHTS THE GREEN COVER? AND WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES?

Kolkata – National Geographic warned that the world was on track to lose 2/3rd of wild animals by 2020. Wild animals have lived in the trees and the forest areas for years. We have taken their land, their water, their food, and their lives. Not only animals, but ordinary people rely on the forest. There are an estimated 1.6 billion people who rely on forests for its sufficient supplies. Forests have supplied food, water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter. Deforestation also drives climate change. Without the trees to keep the soil moist, the land could quickly become a desert. Removing trees also strip forests of their canopy. This leads to extreme temperatures for plants and animals. Fewer forests mean more greenhouse gases. Ultimately, there will be more Carbon in the air instead of oxygen, and soon enough, it will be difficult to survive.

The importance of trees for our survival and survival for life on the planet on the whole perhaps is nothing new to us, yet it is something that is very rarely in the spotlight except for in environmental groups or occasional World Environment Day posts.
We tend to turn a blind eye to the horrific future that awaits us under the pretext of being ‘helpless’ or sometimes being simply ignorant. Some of us adopt a very passive state of mind; “What difference will one tree that I plant make to the world when trees are being felled in thousands every day?”

Of course we all well know that every single effort counts. Just because one may not be a in position to carry out a large-scale afforestation or reforestation drive does not mean that you can’t contributed to the environment. It would also be a shame to underestimate the significance of one tree.

Fortunately, some people and groups have taken the initiative of doing the needful, making it their personal goal to plant as many trees as possible. Our own Green for Life Foundation is a pioneer in urban forestry, having created one at Rajerhat New Town, in Kolkata. A second project is being inaguated soon, too. Smaller efforts by clubs and student groups planting saplings can also be meaningful - provided they are working in a planned manner and the saplings survive to grow into useful trees.

Sometimes, disasters are necessary to open our eyes: in the wake of the damage and destruction caused by Cyclone Amphan, the West Bengal Pollution Control Board and Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation have recently launched another program in Newtown to plant trees that would resist wind and ristrict damage in a tropical storm. Reports say that 24 varieties of tress of small to a medium height have already been selected and planting is underway.

Know trees! Some tree facts:
 One tree can absorb 20 kg. of dust annually, and “swallow up” 80 kg. of suspensions, containing toxic metals such as mercury, lithium, lead etc.
 One tree cleans and purifies around 100,000 m2 of polluted air each year, creates 700 kg. of oxygen, and absorbs 20 tons of carbon dioxide.
 One tree helps reduce our environmental temperature in the summer by up to 4 degrees.
 One tree close to a house is like an acoustic wall – it absorbs noise and reduces the noise level.
 One tree can serve as a home for dozens of birds.

Everyone can do their part to curb deforestation. We can go paperless whenever possible including, limit our consumption of products that use palm oil and plant a tree when possible.

Remember, it’s not only the trees that get hurt.

It’s us.

Protect trees.Save us.

EACH DAY, 2.47 MILLION TREES ARE CUT DOWN. HOW LONG BEFORE THE CONCRETE OUTWEIGHTS THE GREEN COVER? AND WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES?

Protect trees.
Save us.