ETFF Addis to join UNEP's THE BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN

 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (August 27, 2007)- ETFF Addis' request to join "The Billion Tree Campaign" has been warmly welcomed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

 

Following is a letter sent by Meryem C. Amar, Information Officer, Division of Communications and Public Information of the UNEP, to Ato Yoseph Assefa of ETFF's Addis .

Dear Ato Yoseph Assefa,

Thank you for your email. It is my pleasure to confirm that the United Nations Environment Programme has launched its first global tree planting project on 8 November 2006 in Nairobi during the 12th Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Placed under the patronage of 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Wangari Maathai and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, the campaign is raising awareness of the inter-dependence between humankind and the planet’s ecosystems, as well as the linkages between tree planting and climate change mitigation, the restoration of biodiversity, air and soil quality and food security.

Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, governments, private sector companies, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, farmers, local authorities and the public at large are encouraged to enter tree-planting pledges on the dedicated web-site www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign, with the objective of planting and caring for a total of one billion trees world-wide in the course of the year 2007.

The success has been phenomenal. Today, the website records over a billion tree planting pledges from around the world and from all spheres of society, from the grassroots level to the highest positions in decision-making.

Your contribution is important to us. We will enter the data on your behalf.

To define the pace of development, which is both equitable and sustainable, one has to take into account the increased vulnerability of ecosystems to the phenomenon of climate change. The Fourth Assessment Report of Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides specific information on the nature of future impacts. Climate change is projected to impinge on sustainable development in most developing countries as it compounds the pressures on natural resources and the environment associated with rapid urbanization and economic development. Glacier melt will be followed by decreased river flows, and freshwater availability is projected to decrease. By the 2050s, billions of people could be adversely affected. Endemic morbidity and mortality are expected to rise due to increases in coastal water temperatures.

Therefore, in the face of recent alarming data, the Billion Tree Campaign offers hope and a simple solution for climate change mitigation, while enriching biodiversity.

 

Yours in the service of the Earth.

Meryem Amar

 

Meryem C. Amar
Information Officer
United Nations Environment Programme
Division of Communications and Public Information
P.O. Box 30552
United Nations Avenue
Nairobi 00100 - Kenya
Tel : 254 20 762 36 80
Fax : 254 20 762 39 27
Email : meryem.amar@unep.org
www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign