A billion trees planted in 2007

During the UN's Bali Conference on Climate Change late last year, I wrote here about the critical importance of halting deforestation as one of the main ways to reverse global warming.

As you may have picked-up from my posts on such matters, I'm someone who prefers talking about what we can achieve rather then bemoaning the hopelessness of the problem and then urging a draconian, unreasonable and unfair response - and here's a great example.

In the year 2007 alone, more than one and a half billion trees were planted around the world - and more importantly, areas which have suffered deforestation - usually developing nations - are leading the way.

700 million were planted in Ethiopia and 217 million in Mexico alone. Ethiopia's tree planting is particularly significant because trees will help prevent the horrific famines that have beset this country in the recent past - sheltering the land, binding soils to make them more fertile and sustainable and providing wood for homes and fuel. This country has experienced the percentage of its landmass covered by forest falling from 35% at the turn of the 20th century to just 4% by 2000.

Turkey has planted 150 million trees, Kenya 100 million, Cuba 97 million, Rwanda 50 million, South Korea 43 million, Tunisia 21 million, Morocco 20 million, Burma 20 million and Brazil 16 million. Other countries that have planted millions of trees include China, Guatemala and Spain.

UN Environment Programme Chief Achim Steiner has described this phenomenal success as "a further sign of the breathtaking momentum witnessed this year on the challenge for this generation - climate change" and in this case it's hard to dispute the magnitude of that statement.

The great thing about this programme is that tree planting is easy and affordable - and has a hugely disproportionate impact on climate change. On top of the 1.57 billion trees planted already, the UN has received pledges to plant over 2 billion trees.

It's good to be able to report an unqualified success for the UN and for the battle against climate change, as well as one that has such positive benefits in other aspects of sustainable development - especially in the developing world.