353,633,660 Trees Planted in twelve hours: this is the performance claimed by Ethiopia on Monday, July 29th. The Horn of Africa country thus broke the record so far held by India, which had planted 60 million trees in one day in 2017. This giant operation, which took place on Monday July 29, is part of Ethiopia’s broader plan to reforest climate change. The authorities want to plant 4 billion trees by October.

On Twitter, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was delighted to have “not only achieved, but also exceeded the target,” which was 200 million trees planted in twelve hours.

This operation is part of a reforestation plan named “Green Legacy”, launched by the Prime Minister last May. It plans to plant 4 billion trees by the end of September to fight against global warming and ensure the country’s autonomy in wood.

This day of massive reforestation also had a political objective, as explained by an adviser to the Prime Minister at RFI. The aim was to show that Ethiopia, deeply divided and in the grip of an economic and social crisis, can unite around a common goal.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 2.6 billion trees have already been replanted in Ethiopia in recent years. That is an impressive figure, reminding us that even one of the poorest countries in the world can do a major part to combat climate change.