Leave those trees alone!
The last time I took shelter under a tree was to get out of the scorching midday sun. I looked up and peered into the branches. The sun’s rays could barely push their way through the compact evergreen foliage. I stood in the blissful shade provided by the leafy canopy and a rush of relief washed over me, “Għall-erwieħ!”
At that moment, it felt like the tree was my lifeline. Just like forests are the lifeline of our world. Not only because they provide shade and shelter but because they play an indispensable part in ensuring the survival of humanity. Which is why there was an uproar all over the world when the news of the recent Amazon rainforest fires broke.
On a global level, trees provide a home for numerous species of plants, animals and living organisms. Human beings depend on trees to supply timber for construction and firewood for heating and cooking, as well as for harvesting food and medicine. Nonetheless, the rate of deforestation caused by slash-and-burn agriculture appears to be accelerating.
More than one and a half billion people worldwide rely on forests for their livelihoods. Yet, vast tracts of natural forest are being cleared to make way for farmland, housing and industry. Now consider how the jobs of lumberjacks, carpenters, paper manufacturers and fruit growers, just to mention a few examples, could be put on the line consequently.
There is another serious threat to the global well-being of trees. It is forest degradation and in terms of land mass, it is a bigger problem than deforestation. The main culprit is illegal logging and it continues even in protected areas. The direct effect is that entire forests are losing their ecosystems because they can no longer provide habitats and food for the varied forms of flora and fauna.
There are no forests on Malta. Indeed, trees are few and far between and woodland is sparse. And yet, the island has not been spared from small-scale deforestation. Our beautiful trees are one of the casualties of the population explosion that has triggered massive construction projects that carry on unabated - from building new roads to urban development. All construction sites generate high levels of dust that is carried in the air, surrounding our homes and workplace.
This is where our trees come in. They naturally clean the air we breathe by absorbing pollutants and trapping particulates on their leaves, branches and trunks, using sunlight to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through a process called photosynthesis thereby generating oxygen. Being the tallest and darkest plants in our landscape, they absorb heat rather than reflect it. It’s their natural way of combatting climate change.
So, I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the authorities have been cutting trees down with a consuming passion as if there was no tomorrow. Only for them to embark on an exercise in damage limitation, after widespread public anger and outrage grew all over the island, by promising to import mature trees from Greece and Turkey. Hasn’t the penny dropped yet, that old trees are irreplaceable?
Now, I am all for urban open spaces - heaven knows how scarce they are on this island. Sadly however, there seems to be no serious commitment on the part of the authorities to set aside land for outdoor recreation that will breathe new life into built-up urban areas. My guess is that the only open spaces we are ever going to see in our towns and villages are fencedoff demolition sites of buildings that have been torn down to make way for new ones.
Nevertheless, I don’t see how we can possibly gain anything from clearing land by removing mature trees that are useful and aesthetically pleasing, just to build new roads for more vehicles to drive on. Besides, when we use petrol and diesel, we create more pollution and add to global warming. Not to mention that the air temperature in the places where the trees formerly stood rises significantly.
On top of that, the risk to public health is increasing, primarily among people with acute respiratory issues that could be avoided if air pollution is kept to a minimum. Researchers have found that more trees on our streets means fewer health problems. They are unable to pinpoint the reason for this, but they are suggesting that it might have to do with an improvement in air quality, stress relief and the promotion of physical activity.
Apparently, a brisk walk along a tree-lined road does a world of good.
Notwithstanding, there are those who still regard trees as if they are a disposable commodity, merchandise for economic gain or an inconvenience when they get in between urban development. For these people, the concept of our planet’s huge dependence on the survival of trees is clearly not an easy thing to grasp. And besides, who gives a toss about what those pesky treehugging environmentalists are protesting about anyway?
“You are failing us,” warned sixteen-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, speaking on behalf of her generation. Her emotional accusation was levelled against world leaders who were attending the UN’s climate summit in New York earlier this week. Scientists have long been warning politicians that global warming is speeding up. The situation can no longer be treated like business as usual.
Finally, just a reminder that in the biblical account of the seven days of creation, it is written that God created the trees on the third day (Genesis 1:11), even before the animals and human beings. The same human beings who ate the forbidden fruit from the tree in the garden of Eden. And if that is not enough to highlight their significance, Jesus Christ was crucified on a wooden cross built from trees.