THE Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) has encouraged its members in urban areas to align their economic activities strategies with tree planting programmes as a way of mitigating high temperatures.

Suzanne Ndomba-Doran , ATE chief executive officer, pleaded for its over 9,000 members to focus on climate mitigation measures when she took part at a tree planting event early today in Mikocheni suburb of Dar es Salaam.

She said that ATE is much concerned with the tremendous rise in urban heat island (UHI) attributed to growth in infrastructure development and high-tech industrialization investments taking place in urban areas.

According to her, if all employers are to convince their employees to fully engage in planting and taking care of trees, urban areas, where over 60 percent of economic activities take place could be turned evergreen thus saving the world from global warming.

Doran asserted that Mikocheni ‘B’ is an industrial area where carbon emissions are produced in large quantities on a daily basis. Planting plenty of trees could help reduce environmental and health threats arising from carbon emission. 

“As we celebrate the climax of the Customer Service Week I would like to call upon employers and employees from the factories to act effectively on their environmental protection and sustainability commitments,” said Doran.

She encouraged employers to plant at least five trees at their office premises and encouraged their employers to do the same in their residential premises.

Doran who also took part in a city trenches cleaning exercise emphasized on the well-coordinated collection and investments in recycling of post-consumer plastic bottles, including colored ones from beverage companies to conserve the environment.

“Cleaning of beaches is another important aspect that the business community must take into consideration in keeping the environment clean and safe. There must be regular cleaning of beaches by employers and their employees,” she said.

Nelson Edger, Mikocheni ‘B’ Street Chairperson, commended ATE for taking the lead in encouraging its members to embrace environmental conservation in the line of their duties.

“Keeping environment clean complements other environmental initiatives such as planting of trees for the intention of containing climate change crises. People should be asking themselves: what do they do in conserving the environment on a daily basis?” said Edger.

According to him, urban areas are exposed to climate change effects such as extreme heat and floods due to human and industrial activities that jeopardize normal weather patterns.

Adam Mrutu, Mikocheni Ward Environment and Health Officer said that keeping the environment clean could keep communities safe from the outbreak of diseases that are a result of poor hygiene.

“The government is ready and willing to collaborate with public and private employers in conserving the environment and in executing projects that are meant to contain climate change crises,” he said.