A new record
India has just broken the Guinness Book of World Records by planting close to fifty million trees in a single day. The record was broken in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where more than eight hundred thousand volunteers gathered on July 11 to attempt to shatter the previous record for most trees planted, set by Pakistan.
Local government’s initiative
The effort is seen to be a show of faith by India to prove its sincerity towards the commitment made by the country at the Paris Climate Conference in December 2015. The feat was achieved in a spectacular fashion by volunteers who came from all walks of life with the common goal to do something about India’s pollution level. The country regularly features in the world’s most polluted cities list, and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, under whose supervision the operation was carried out, has come out in support of pollution control though citizen engagement at the individual level.
A result of rivalry?
Critics have pointed out that this giant undertaking might have been nothing more than another show of competition between India and Pakistan, although they noted that this was probably the healthiest expression of the notorious rivalry in the recent past. The earlier record, set by Pakistan a few years ago was for close to nine hundred thousand trees planted in a single day.
Citizen participation
The most intriguing aspect of the whole exercise was the large scale participation of ordinary citizens which made the entire operation a reality. Many of the participants, when questioned by reporters, revealed their concern for the increase in population in India and the unhealthy air conditions that prompted them to make a personal contribution to the tree planting drive. Students in particular exhibited a deep knowledge of the ill effects of air pollution and the urgent need to take steps to rectify the problem on a global scale.
