TheCable

Kenya has declared Monday a public holiday to start the 100 million tree-planting campaign to help with the country’s land restoration efforts.

The holiday encourages Kenyans to plant at least two seedlings, leading to the 100-million target of the government’s plan to plant 15 billion trees in 10 years.

As part of the initiative, the Kenyan government said it would provide about 150 million seedlings for free at its forest agency centres to be planted in designated public areas.

Trees help tackle global warming by absorbing carbon dioxide — one of the main drivers of global heating — from the air while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

In contrast, deforestation accelerates climate change as it halts plant photosynthesis and trees are no longer taking up carbon. It is also often accompanied by burning, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide.

The climate crisis is causing worsening droughts in the Horn of Africa, including Kenya, where rains have failed for five seasons in a row.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Kenya’s forest cover decreased from 12 percent to six percent between 1990 and 2010.

Kenya aims to bring its forest cover back to 10 percent by 2030.

President William Ruto led the exercise in Makueni in the east of the country while ministers were sent to other regions to lead the process alongside county governors and other officials.

Ruto had also championed the inaugural Africa climate summit (ACS) aimed to address the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa, as part of his commitments to ecosystem restoration.