1 Billion trees to fight Global warming [View All]

The 2004 Nobel Peace prize winner Wangari Matthei at work -bless her!Its a good effort but I also agree with some of what Dan Stafford has to say about it:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15622435/

NAIROBI, Kenya - A Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner called on people around the world to plant 1 billion trees in the next year, saying Wednesday the effort is a way ordinary citizens can fight global warming.

Wangari Maathai, who in 2004 became the first black African woman to win a Nobel in any category, urged participants to ensure the trees thrive long after they are planted.

“It’s one thing to plant a tree, it’s another to make it survive,” said Maathai, who founded Kenya’s Green Party in 1987 and focused on planting trees to address the wood fuel crisis here.





One Billion Trees to Fight Global Warming?
Posted by Dan Stafford at 03:07 PM

It was announced today that the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient Wangari Mathai is launching an effort to plant one billion trees annually in an effort to combat global warming.

I can't say I'm against this plan, but it does seem like a long way to go to make a small dent in the global warming problem, when the root of the issue is American's lifestyles, not a lack of trees. Why are we not using buses or walking? Why do our cars not get the mileage they should? Why don't we use energy efficient lightbulbs?

Sadly, the American media is always on the lookout for what appear to be quick-fix band aid solutions to the problem, rather than pushing for actual change. Don't get me wrong - I'm not against the planting of trees - but if American energy consumption patterns don't change, this effort won't amount to a hill of trees.

The American lifestyle is a huge problem.