World Environment Day: It’s ‘time for nature’ and Afforestation is the need of the hour to combat climate change
If there is one thing that recent spate of cyclones and a pandemic have highlighted, it is that we need to heed to the clarion call of saving our environment. Our actions in the last few years have taken a huge toll on the environment leading to a rise in carbon emissions. In the name of development, a number of industries have been coming up after felling thousands of trees to clear large swathes of land. Since 80% of the earth’s terrestrial carbon is above the ground and 40% is below, this is why forests are essential to lower increasing carbon emissions. It has been known that deforestation and forest degradation is the second biggest cause of global warming, contributing to 15% of greenhouse gas emissions globally. This is why to restore some bit of normalcy we need to act responsibly at a collective level. The first step to combatting the loss of our natural resources, especially forests, is through Afforestation.
Apart from industries, overpopulation has also led to our cities becoming more congested. More residential areas have had to be built after deforestation of land to accommodate more people. This is why we need to do our bit to give back to nature and restore the balance. Afforestation is a great way to do this because it is economical and easy. One community’s efforts at planting trees can go a long way in creating a forest that can help in carbon sequestration and reversal of global warming. We, at Tata Power, have been trying our best to save nature though afforestation efforts for a long time.