Mothercare International School, in collaboration with Makers and Partners (MAP), an accountancy firm, has joined the global community to commemorate Green Ghana and World Environment Day by planting 150 trees in Accra.

The exercise, which took place at the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, aimed to create awareness about planting to enhance efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Environmental destruction continues to be a major challenge for many countries, leading to worsening climate impacts, which, in the long run, threaten the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr. Asirifi Boakye, the Headmaster of Mothercare International School, underscored the need to encourage children to cultivate the habit of tree planting at home and in their communities to facilitate climate action and ease ozone layer depletion.

"In the curriculum, we have methods of sustaining the environment, so what is being taught in the classroom, we expect them to practice and implement this in their homes and communities, and also learn how to sustain the trees that are being planted," he said.

Mr. Boakye commended the Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, and other chiefs for their role in the fight against environmental degradation, adding, "As a school, we are here to honor the call to plant trees."

Mr. Wilfred Neneh Addico, Partner at MAP, touched on the importance of sustaining the environment, emphasizing that as a business, one of its service lines includes Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).

He reiterated the firm's commitment to ensuring that they regularly monitor and nurture the trees to grow to help protect the environment.

Mr. Addico advised builders and developers not to clear trees on their lands but rather work around them, saying they serve an important part in the ecological system by absorbing carbon dioxide.

He said the discussion about climate change and global warming has to do with the emission of carbon dioxide into the environment.

"That's why we are seeing sea levels rising, flooding, and heat waves; the solution to mitigate some of these issues is the planting of trees. I urge Ghanaians to do well in planting trees and also protect the trees by not cutting them down," he advised.

Dr. Lukman Ahmed Qinan, a Physician Specialist at the GAF Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, highlighted the consequences of global warming and said tree planting was one of the ways to reduce its effects.

He noted that there are several effects of global warming, particularly on health, and a lot of diseases, including heat stroke, could arise because of increasing temperatures. Therefore, planting more trees would go a long way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.