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Call to plant more trees to fight pollution

ABU DHABI — Dr Wangari Maathai, winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, yesterday said she was impressed by the number of trees and greenery in the UAE and called upon people, especially students, to plant saplings to fight pollution and climate change.

Speaking on the issue of “Future Challenges — A Vision for Children and Women of the World” at the Abu Dhabi Women’s College (ADWC) on the second day of the Festival of Thinkers, she said: “When I arrived in Abu Dhabi I expected to see just the desert, but I was very surprised and impressed to find so many trees and greenery.”

It takes 10 trees to absorb the toxins produced by one person’s expiration, so preserving forests and planting saplings are key factors in combating pollution and, ultimately, climate change, she said.

Dr Maathai explained the concept of the Green Belt Movement, which she founded in Kenya in 1976. The movement focuses on helping the environment by planting saplings, as well as assisting women in improving their way of life. Over 20 million saplings have been planted on farms, schools and church compounds.

In 1986, the Pan African Green Belt Network was established, which attracts other countries into the tree planting movement. Her talk was followed by a panel discussion on the same topic. The participants included students of ADWC and other universities as well as world personalities — Rana Sabbagh, Jordan correspondent for The Times; Rohini Nilekani, chairperson of Arghyam Trust, India; Zelmira Koch, director of Global Division, Chartwell Education; Lynn Nesbit of Janklow and Nesbit Associates, USA; Dorothy Herman, chief executive officer of US Prudential Douglas Elliman; Jamie Amelio, president of Caring for Cambodia; Linda Davila, chair of board of trustees, NY Institute of Technology; and Devi Cherian, journalist and social activist (Orphaned Children, Aids relief), India. Riz Khan of Al Jazeera was the moderator.

ADWC’s Applied Media students recorded and documented Dr Maathai’s presentation and the panel discussion, a summary of which will be published later.