Ethiopia plants more than 350 million trees in a single dayJuly 30, 2019 - 16:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ethiopians have planted more than 350 million trees in a single day as part of a campaign to fight deforestation and climate change, Al Jazeera reports. Getahun Mekuria, Ethiopia's minister of innovation and technology, said 353,633,660 seedlings were planted in 12 hours on Monday, July 29. The planting spree, which surpassed the initial goal of 200 million trees planted in one day, will be a world record, officials said. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's ambitious Green Legacy Initiative, launched in May, aims to plant four billion trees across Ethiopia by October. "Today, Ethiopia is set in our attempt to break the world record together for a green legacy," Abiy's office said in a Twitter post on Monday. Some schools and government offices were closed for the occasion and Abiy told fellow Ethiopians to "go out and make your mark", as he planted his own tree in the southern city of Arba Minch. So far, more than 2.6 billion trees have been planted in almost all parts of the East African nation, agricultural officials say. Earlier in July, Swiss scientists published a study in the journal Science saying that the most effective way to fight global warming was to plant one trillion trees. The report said that over the decades, those new trees could suck up nearly 750 billion tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That is about as much carbon pollution as humans have spewed in the last 25 years. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |