Flashy Events, Little Impact

A strange trend has taken root in Kenya and across the world in the name of environmental conservation. Tree-planting, once a meaningful act of restoration, has been turned into a stage for performative climate activism.

Politicians, corporate executives, and celebrities often arrive at these events in rented helicopters or long convoys of fuel-guzzling SUVs, destined for remote villages in places like Isiolo or Kilifi. Their mission? To plant a single tree—often an ornamental one—with no sustainability plan in sight.

A Ceremony with Cameras

Sometimes it’s one tree. Sometimes a handful. But always with the full entourage: media teams, bodyguards, photographers, and public relations experts.

They give speeches packed with buzzwords like climate resilience, green jobs, and sustainable futures, then vanish as quickly as they arrived—leaving behind a carbon footprint far greater than the benefit of the symbolic act they performed.

This is the sad reality of performative environmentalism.

Climate Change Is Real—and Urgent

Meanwhile, climate change is no longer a far-off concern. Failed rains, dried-up rivers, and poor harvests are now common headlines in Kenya. Communities are struggling with real, immediate effects—yet conservation is being reduced to a photo opportunity.

The question is: Who is this really for?

Real Climate Action Happens Quietly

True environmental work doesn’t need the spotlight. It’s about:

-Supporting farmers with drought-tolerant seeds

-Funding water harvesting and irrigation projects

-Rehabilitating degraded land

-Investing in climate-smart agriculture

-Empowering youth to build innovative green solutions

-Developing strong disaster risk management plans

These efforts rarely make the news—but they make a lasting impact.

Planting Trees the Right Way

Tree planting is important. But it must be done with purpose. Trees planted for cameras, without community engagement, without follow-up care, and without survival plans, are simply for show.

When more money is spent on choppers and PR than on seedlings and soil, something is deeply wrong.

We Need Less Show, More Substance

Let’s be honest: climate change won’t be solved by theatrics. It requires humility, sustained investment, and grassroots action. We must stop praising appearances and start demanding accountability.

Because in the end, a ceremonial tree should never cost the environment more than it helps.