12 Jul, 2016

Indian state aims to plant record-breaking 50 million trees in one day

Others | INDIA | 12 Jul, 2016
Published by : Eco Media Asia

Uttar Pradesh is going to be looking a lot greener after a marathon 24-hour tree-planting frenzy.

There are a lot of different types of records to break in this world, but few as noble as this one: To plant the most trees in a day. This is what the residents of India’s most populated state, Uttar Pradesh, are hoping to accomplish.

More than 800,000 people have taken to the dirt after officials distributed millions of saplings to be planted across the state to help India's efforts to increase its forest cover, and to clinch a Guinness World Record for the most trees planted in a day, reports the Associated Press.

The record so far has been a whopping 847,275 trees, an arboreal feat accomplished in Pakistan in 2013.

Pakistan makes it to the Guinness World Records by planting 847,275 mangrove saplings in a day (2013), Photo : Mahwish Rizvi

People from all walks of life are getting in on the digging. Students, lawmakers, government officials, housewives and volunteers from nonprofit organizations got to work on Monday to plant the saplings at specific places ranging from the side of small roads and highways, to train tracks and forest areas.

The state’s Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, said that planting 50 million trees would spread awareness and enthusiasm about reforesting and environmental conservation. And in doing so, the state is earning some new fans as well.

"The world has realized that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard," Yadav told volunteer tree planters.

The effort is part of the Indian government’s push to increase forest cover to 95 million hectares (235 million acres) by 2030; a pledge made at the 2015 climate change summit in Paris. The government has earmarked more than $6.2 billion for effort.

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Article by Melissa Breyer at treehugger.com
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