Original Story Published by: Joe Myers, www.weforum.org
Photo Source: World Economic Forum
(Above) The country says it planted more than 4 billion seedlings last year.
- • Ethiopia has announced ambitious plans to plant 5 billion seedlings.
- • It’s part of a larger goal to plan 20 billion trees.
- • Global initiatives – such as 1t.org – hope to drive reforestation efforts.
For World Environment Day on 5 June the Ethiopian government has announced plans to plant 5 billion seedlings during this year’s rainy season.
“This is part of our larger goal of planting 20 billion trees during a four-year period,” explained Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali. He added that more than 4 billion seedlings were planted last year – including close to 350 million in one 12-hour period in July 2019. The high survival rate of these seedlings is nature's encouragement to "forge ahead", he added.
Going green
The planting is part of the country's Green Legacy Project, which aims to build a green and climate-resilient economy.
At the same time, the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has reminded people of their own vulnerabilities, explained the Prime Minister: "Our natural environment is an important determinant of human health."
The pandemic will test our resilience, but the planting will be done in a COVID-responsible way, he added.
To read the full article, visit www.weforum.org.
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