Planting 350 million trees, Ethiopia strikes at the roots of climate change

With this bold initiative, the East African nation is setting an example to the rest of the world

At times, the challenge of dealing with the threat of climate change can seem overwhelming. International organisations issue dire warnings and urge reluctant member nations to act while there is still time. Vested interests lobby, and governments capable of seeing no further than the next election hesitate to take the drastic action required. Individuals struggle to believe that their personal contribution to reducing humankind’s massive carbon footprint can have any impact on the looming global catastrophe. Then along comes an initiative so unexpected, and so inspiring, that it cuts through all the doubt and delay, and reminds us that the future of the planet is in all our hands.

Ethiopia's plan to plant billions of trees this summer is one such initiative. In just 12 hours on Monday, more than 350 million trees were planted in a remarkable operation that has recruited armies of civil servants and citizens, tasked with planting at least 40 seedlings each. The government's national Green Legacy initiative, which has shattered the previous record of 50 million trees planted on one day, set by India in 2016, aims to see four billion seedlings planted by the end of the summer.

This is no gimmick. Carbon dioxide is the main driver of climate change, and trees are extremely good at absorbing it from the atmosphere – so much so that many scientists now believe that reforestation on a gigantic scale is humankind’s best hope to halt or even reverse global warming.

Ethiopia’s Green Legacy is a bold contribution to a wider global initiative, led by the international youth organisation Plant for the Planet. This aims to see a trillion trees planted around the world – 15 billion of which have already put down roots.

What is needed now is a halt to unsustainable deforestation and a commitment from governments around the world to follow the example of countries such as Ethiopia and India, the latter of which has already planted more than two billion trees. Although Ethiopia’s economy is growing, it still has one of the lowest GDPs per capita in the world, which makes its commitment to combating climate change all the more impressive. With this inspiring initiative, this East African nation of 110 million has set the world a challenge. If it can take such ambitious action, what excuse can wealthier nations possibly have for not following its example?