A day after the Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh completed 100 days in office, the chief minister on Tuesday initiated a massive drive to plant 25 crore saplings along with establishing a Kodanda Van in Chitrakoot. India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh is undertaking this drive to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The state government has set a target of planting 35 crore saplings by August 15, even as it banned single-use plastic.
After launching a plantation drive five years ago, the forest cover of Uttar Pradesh has gone up by more than 3 per cent, as compared to the national average of 2.89 per cent.
Adityanath addressed the Vriksharopan Jan Andolan and invited people for more participation in the plantation drive to make it a mass movement.
(Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath waters a freshly planted sapling in Chitrakoot on Tuesday. Image: News18)
Forest and tree cover serve as pollution sinks, natural habitats for biodiversity, and instruments for combating climate change. They are vital to providing clean air and water. Trees are a solution for climate-stressed cities, preventing overheating and reducing air pollution.
Only 9.21 per cent of the state’s geographical area is under forest and tree cover. So, the forest department, with other government departments and public participation, has undertaken the work of planting nearly 100 crore saplings over the past five years.
During plantation drive, different types of van like shakti van, bal van, yuva van, nagar van and food forest will be established in the entire state. All these activities will be undertaken by other government departments, public representative, NGOs, Nehru Yuva Kendra, Mahila Mangal Dal, Yuvak Mangal Dal, NCC/NSS, Rotary/Lions club, Eco club, Vyapar Mandal, FPOs, schoolchildren, defence personnel, media, village residents among others.
(Local women in Chitrakoot are seen with saplings, which will be planted under a drive by the Uttar Pradesh government. Image: News18)
The environment, forest and climate change department is making an effort to provide a healthy environment to the people of the state by organising plantation programmes at a large scale. On August 15, amrit van will be established by planting 75 saplings of a native tree species in every village panchyat/urban local body of the state.
Trees are the only source of oxygen and the only mechanism to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests and tree cover sequester carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and transforming it into biomass. It acts as a carbon reservoir and a tool to sequester additional carbon from the environment.
A mature tree absorbs 22 kg of carbon dioxide per year, which is over 5 kg carbon. Plantation of 35 crore saplings this year will help in sequestering nearly 80.55 million tonnes of carbon dioxide till 2030. With a target of planting nearly 35 crore saplings every year, Uttar Pradesh will be planting 175 crore saplings in the next five years. This will result in sequestration of 72 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, thus, achieving proportional target for UP to an extent of nearly 80 per cent of carbon sequestration aimed till 2030.
Manoj Singh, additional chief secretary, environment, forest and climate change, said: “Climate change mitigation requires excess atmospheric carbon dioxide to be absorbed and stored in vegetation, and planting billions of trees is the best way to tackle the challenge. We are committed to increasing the forest cover of Uttar Pradesh to over 15 per cent of the total land area in the next five years.”
Plants and trees have been symbols of cleanliness and are helpful in the treatment of diseases since time immemorial. Among species that purify the environment are peepal, banyan, pakar, neem among others. Tree cover improves soil and groundwater levels and purifies air, thus, bringing about a considerable change in the micro-climate of a place.
There is an urgent need to plant more trees and conserve existing forest and tree cover. Given the scale of environmental challenges in the present day and age, researchers, policymakers, NGOs as well as the private sector must work together.
Navneet Sehgal, additional chief secretary, information and public relations, said: “Our government is focused on fighting climate change in every possible way and is investing heavily in greenery. Planting trees across is one of the biggest and cheapest ways of taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. Every one of us is an agent of change and we need to do our bit by living a sustainable lifestyle and reduce our carbon footprint.”
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