This African Country Wants to Plant 20 Billion Trees Over the Next Four Years

As part of Ethiopia’s plan to build a green climate-resistant economy, the country is on a mission to plant five billion trees this year – and 20 billion seedlings by 2024!

The initiative, which would also help create sustainable local jobs, was launched by Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, and has received support from several countries including Norway, Sweden and the United Nations Development Program.

“The new initiative seems appealing from the outset and it is a good opportunity to raise forest coverage of the country,” says Adefris Worku, an Addis Ababa-based environmentalist, to Quartz. “But the cost to plant and take a care of the trees should be taken into consideration when the government attempts to make such a plan a reality.”

The tree planting project is part of Ethiopia’s national “Green Legacy” project that aims to tackle deforestation and climate issues, according to the prime minister’s office, through educating Ethiopians on the environment and planting seedlings.