Builders and developers in Ghana have been advised to refrain from activities that are not environmentally friendly.

Partner at accounting firm Makers and Partners (MAP), Wilfred Neneh Addico, specifically warned them against indiscriminate felling of trees.

This emerged as part of activities to mark this year’s World Environment Day.

He said such actions delayed collective action towards the restoration of degraded land, saying that instead of cutting down trees on lands earmarked for development projects, they should work around them.

He added that discussions on climate change and global warming, trees when planted, cared for, preserved and protected would go a long way in protecting the environment as they play an important role in the ecological system by absorb carbon dioxide.

Mr Addico made these comments during a tree planting exercise organized in collaboration with Mothercare International School to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day.

The exercise was aimed at engaging children on the issues of climate change. 150 tree seedlings were planted at the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, kick-starting climate change action.

Environmental destruction remains a major challenge for many countries, leading to worsening climate impacts, which in the long term threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Addico reiterated MAP’s commitment and assured that they would regularly monitor and care for the trees to ensure they grow and help protect the environment.

He mentioned that one of the company’s service lines includes Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), adding that “ESG practices will ensure that individuals, organizations and communities conduct their activities taking into account the negative impact of their activities on the environment.” .

The Principal of Mothercare International School, Asirifi Boakye, also underscored the need to encourage children to cultivate the habit of planting trees in their homes and communities to facilitate climate action and reduce ozone layer depletion.

He said: “As a school we have methods of conserving the environment as part of our curriculum, so what is taught in the classroom we expect them to put into practice and implement in their homes and communities.”

“That’s why we see sea level rise, floods and heat waves; The solution to mitigate some of these issues is tree planting and will encourage Ghanaians to do good in tree planting and also protect the trees by not cutting them down.”

A physician specialist at GAF Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, Dr. Lukman Ahmed Qinan, highlighted the consequences of global warming and said planting trees is one of the ways to reduce its effects.

He said there are several impacts of global warming, especially on health, and many diseases, including heat stroke, could emerge due to rising temperatures. Therefore, planting more trees would go a long way in reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.