India. 66 million trees planted in just 12 hours
Environment — di Rudi Bressa
A record achievement made possible by the contribution of 1.5 million volunteers — another way of tackling climate change.
India. 66 million trees planted in just 12 hours
A record achievement made possible by the contribution of 1.5 million volunteers — another way of tackling climate change.
Half a day and one and a half million volunteers were all it took to set yet another record in India: 66 million new trees planted. A true Guinness World Record, achieved in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The event, which took place last Sunday, saw the participation of tens of thousands of people from all walks of life — from housewives to students, all the way to local administrators. The result: 66,750,000 new trees planted. Also in India, last July a similar record had been set — the planting of 50 million trees in around one day, in Uttar Pradesh.
I am extremely proud to happily share that people of Madhya Pradesh successfully planted 6.63 Crore saplings today. #MPPlants6CroreTrees
The event was also confirmed by a statement from Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, who wrote on Twitter: "I am extremely proud to share with you that the people of Madhya Pradesh have successfully planted 6.63 crore (an Indian unit of measurement) saplings."
Millions of trees against climate change
A unique event, in a country that is already experiencing the effects of climate change. But the reforestation of large areas could increase the nation's carbon storage capacity, in addition to the obvious benefits that greater forest cover brings: soil stabilisation, reduction of pollutants and temperatures, slowing of soil degradation processes, to name but a few.
India had in fact committed at the Paris conference to increasing forest cover by 95 million trees by 2030, with an investment of 6.2 billion dollars. "I am indebted to all those who are planting trees today," the Chief Minister declared in a statement. "We are helping to save nature. By taking part in this planting, people are making their contribution against climate change. The whole world is talking about global warming, and Madhya Pradesh has taken a further step in tackling it."