Most people believe that Freetown today is disadvantaged due to limited space, but however the Council has decided to make use the little available spaces in schools, public places, and government compounds to plant trees.
Greening Freetown is part of the Transform Freetown Project, being undertaken by the Freetown City Council.
According to the Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, the project involves environmental governance that is related to defining, developing and implementing the elements needed to achieving environment sustainability across Freetown.
She is urging citizens of Freetown to plant trees in their compounds in order to mitigate climate change and combat other negative climatic conditions. She recalled the mudslide incident of August 14, 2017, saying disaster comprised a mix of clay soil and boulders ripping through the affected area in Freetown with tremendous energy and destroying everything in its path. She further recalled that the incident had a massive human impact, with over 6,000 people affected and caused significant destruction and damage to critical infrastructure.
She further said that they currently planting trees not just because of World Environmental Day but also because the environment is very important to each and every Sierra Leonean.
Prof. Dr. Foday Jaward is the Executive Chairman for Environment Protection Agency (EPA). He said the agency knows the importance of the day and that they also know that the United Nations selected June 5 as World Environment day because “we are living in consonance with our environment, and we depend on the environment and the environment depends on us.”
He further said that our actions have left the country environmentally battered as Sierra Leoneans have been cutting down trees to build houses on the hills, while people have not been giving back to the environment by replanting trees. He further said that people are also cutting down trees to build houses to make furniture but that they don’t replant the trees they cut down, which he added, has led to disasters, and incident have been recorded as the highest disasters in Africa.
He urged citizens to plant more trees. “We should be in a position to answer questions to our children after we have destroyed the environment. Evidences abound that climate change is changing weather patterns, increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and unfortunately, those in the poorest communities are seriously affected.
