APA-Freetown-(Sierra Leone) Freetown’s historically famous cotton tree which was toppled by heavy storm that swept through the capital two weeks ago has touched off a spirited debate on climate change in Sierra Leone.
The fall of the iconic tree that had adorned the Freetown skyline for over three centuries came as a huge shock and surprise for many citizens who were used to its spectacle.
Few Sierra Leoneans would have predicted that the existence of the huge, shady and 70 meter-high tree would end in the early 21st century after being welded into the country’s historical fabric dating even before the eras of slavery, colonisation and decolonisation.
Historical perspective
Some historians estimate that the tree was over 300 years old. Gleanings into the distant past suggest that in 1792 the cotton tree was one of the biggest among several giant trees when freed African slaves started to live few meters away in the city named after freed slaves.
The tree was to many Sierra Leoneans a venerated monument and symbol of liberty similar to how the Americans view their Statue of Liberty or Place de l’Obélisque to the Senegalese.
Surrounded by public buildings, including the imposing High Court edifice, State House, and the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) in downtown Freetown, it had been a touchstone for locals and foreign tourists. Pictures of it adorned countless items of use including the local currency, the Leone.
It speaks to its importance that the Cotton Tree Medical Group (CTMG), an organization founded and headed by Dr. Fouad Sheriff, a Sierra Leonean entrepreneur, was named after one of the most famous trees in the world.
Some have been very philosophical, noting that nothing lasts forever and that the fall of the tree merely demonstrated the inevitability that accompanies.
They say the life of the tree was bound to end some day and would be mourned by Sierra Leoneans just like they did in 1988 at the funeral of late Siaka Stevens, Sierra Leone’s president for over 17 years.
Environmental debate
However now that the tree is no more, its demise has set off a debate especially among Sierra Leone’s army of environmentalists who blamed climate change for depriving the city of Freetown of its most famous natural landmark.
They hold that the tree could have lived for many more decades if the country was blessed with the will to repair environmental degradation and reduce pollution.
In fact many experts are on record as having issued regular warnings against environmental pollution around the cotton tree.
Cities and big towns across Sierra Leone have been overcrowded since the 11-year civil war ended in 2002, putting undue pressure on the environment around them.
Like elsewhere in the world the climate crisis in Africa has hit Sierra Leone hardest.
Many Sierra Leoneans lack the resources necessary to deal with extreme weather events such as droughts and floods such as the ones that brought the cotton tree down.
The country’s population has grown by 60% over two decades, form 5 million before the civil war to 8 million in 2022, according to official data.
Therefore, use of natural resources such as land and water have increased significantly, resulting into loss of nature, especially forests and biodiversity and ecosystem. Some say Sierra Leone is warming faster than expected.
The frequency of climatic events has increased sharply over the years in the country. The deadly mudslide that hit Freetown on August 14, 2017 and claimed over 1000 lives has been one of the most cataclysmic weather catastrophes in recent years.
At the beginning of this year’s rainy season, some researchers are wondering what the cost and impact of the climate crisis would be, including costs in the form of lives and properties lost. At the international level, there have been many proposals on how to minimise costs, including repairing nature.
Repairing nature, some argue, requires the support of communities affected by global warming.
On the other hand, some say Least Developed Countries (LDC) such as Sierra Leone cannot afford the high cost of repairing nature such as land, water, forests and animal restoration.
According to the World Bank, Sierra Leone recorded only $1,750 as Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in 2021, an income that ranks the country among the poorest in the world.
Secondly, there is also the debate over reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming and climate change.
Some suggest that developed countries or big emitters of greenhouse gas must pay a high percentage of the cost.
Africa, including Sierra Leone, has the “world’s lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions”, according to African Parks, a non-profit conservation organisation.
Finally, Sierra Leoneans might not agree on how to minimise the cost and impact of climate change but almost everyone feels that the fall of the Freetown Cotton Tree is a big loss to them.
Citizens were seen lining up on the streets to mourn the loss of the tree at ground zero where huge piles of fallen logs were sawed into pieces, loaded and taken away to free up the traffic.
ABJ/APA