Kids in Uganda adopt trees as pets

Uganda's "Pet a Tree" project teaches children to love, name, and nurture trees — all to help fight climate change.

Transcript

00:00Condoleezza is watering her pet. She has about 2,000 of them, all trees she planted herself.

00:13I believe that the more we plant trees, the more we get to connect to nature, the more we get even

00:18more pets because I believe that all those 2015 trees are my pets and I love and care for them.

00:24That's why they have got to grow so big. It's an environmental initiative in Uganda that's

00:29proven popular among young people especially. In the capital Kampala, Sophie is celebrating

00:36her birthday. She receives a birthday cake and a tree.

00:43I'm giving you this tree as a peta tree ambassador to symbolize your 12th birthday. I hope you

00:49can take it as your pet, take care of it. I'm going to make it my pet and name it and care

00:58for it and help it grow. I'm going to name it sorbe because when it gives me mangoes, I'm

01:06going to use those mangoes to make sorbe, which is a dessert.

01:10Uganda has only 12% of its original forest left today. Some 120,000 hectares are filled

01:17every year for firewood or farmland. That accelerates global warming and climate change because fewer

01:24trees are left to absorb CO2. I believe that climate change is real because I've experienced

01:31it here in Kampala during floods and other natural disasters. I'm going to plant a tree

01:38and I'm going to name this tree Margaret Brenda. There are many reforestation initiatives but

01:46planting trees alone is not enough. Young supplants need water, care and protection. That's why the

01:53organization ATEI started a pet a tree project. You cannot have a pet that you're not ready

01:59to take care of. So have a tree pet and be ready to take care of that tree. So we are saying

02:04that if you want to plant a tree, make sure that tree grows. Most trees that are planted,

02:08they say that over 79% of the trees that are planted don't make, they don't live up to their

02:14third birthdays. Birthday girl Sophie plants her tree right away in the garden, making good on

02:21her promise to help care for it. And because it's just so good, Condoleezza gives all of Sophie's

02:29birthday guests a tree pet. And I want to encourage my fellow peers to do the same activity that

02:37that I'm doing because if we want to make a change, it has to start with us.