The United Nations says that the world has surpassed a goal of planting a billion trees in 2007. The campaign target was surpassed just counting forestry efforts by three countries – Ethiopia (700 million), Mexico (217 million) and Turkey (150 million) .
When the goal was launched last year at a U.N. climate meeting in Nairobi, U.N. Environment Programme chief Achim Steiner said that there were “a few cynical smiles and shaking of heads” because people thought it would never happen or that there was no real reason for it.
But now, he says: “millions if not billions of people around this world want an end to pollution and environmental deterioration and have rolled up their sleeves and got their hands dirty to prove the point.”
Billions, even millions, is a lot of people — are you among them? U.S. President George W. Bush planted an elm at the White House to replace one killed by a storm (see picture above — he didn’t even have to roll up his sleeves).
Are there more trees, or even saplings, anywhere near you? Has this drive made a difference?
