Planting trees is the best way to tackle climate change, according to a recent study on world reforestation potential. Governments play a key role in realizing this potential.
The United Nations has set a reforestation target of restoring 150 million hectares of forest (150 million acres) and public lands by 2030 as part of its Sustainable Development Goals. This would be equivalent to planting an area about three times the size of India – or more than half the total forest cover in Europe and North America combined.
But how can we achieve a reforestation program with such ambitious targets?
Our forests, the trees and the soil are the answer to carbon sequestration and the climate issues we are facing.
Countries making an impact with reforestation
Here are some the most successful reforestation programs led by world governments and local communities.
Countries making an impact with reforestation
Ethiopia smashed records by planting 353 million trees in one day as part of their massive tree planting campaign to plant 4 billion trees by October! The country aims to recover forest cover which declined from 30% in the 19th century to just 4% now.
India is second to Ethiopia in their reforestation effort and the number of trees planted in a single day – 220 million trees were planted by more than a million Indians in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This was a huge jump from the 66 million saplings planted in their previous big plantation drive.
China is building a tree planting army, quite literally. It is now the duty of 60,000 soldiers to reforest 32,400 acres of land roughly the size of Ireland. That’s just 2% of the world’s largest army. Imagine if we had less war and conflicts, more soldiers would be available to fight against deforestation and help fix our broken climate by planting millions of trees.
Africa is building a green wall of trees triple in size to the Great Barrier Reef! It’s an ambitious natural regeneration project to bring back life to the deserted Saharan borders. Countries who share those borders are moving beyond boundaries to collaborate for their forest and the environment.
Philippines made tree planting a graduation requirement. Each student will plant 10 saplings each for a total of 175 million new trees per year! Imagine if we had this law everywhere.
Pakistan is organizing a tree planting day later this month encouraging every citizen to plant at least 2 trees each. The current government has vowed to plant 10 billion trees by the end of their 5-year tenure!
Our trees and forests have the answers we need for the conservation of our climate and biodiversity. We must act now to save them.
The world is facing a crisis in forest cover, with an estimated loss of one billion hectares of forest over the last 50 years. This has been caused by deforestation, degradation and fragmentation, which are all driven by human activity. The consequences include increased greenhouse gas emissions, changes in rainfall patterns and more extreme weather events.
These reforestation and tree planting efforts give a much-needed impetus to global climate action. Hope they inspire other nations to up their tree-planting game. But it’s not just up to governments to protect our planet’s climate. Companies, schools and everyone can help grow trees and #forestnation in their own way. #imagineforestnation
