We all know that deforestation is one of the biggest threats to our planet - and now the Philippines has turned its own environmental footprint into formal legislation.
A new Filipino law now requires all high school and college students to plant at least 10 tree before they can graduate. When the maths is done, this should result in 525 billion trees planted per generation.
The bill aims to combat climate change due to deforestation, of which the Philippines is one of the biggest culprits.
Gary Alejano, the principal author of the Philippines' Magdalo Party's legislation, said: "With over 12 million students graduating from elementary and nearly five million students graduating from high school and almost 500,000 graduating from college each year, this initiative, if properly implemented, will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would be planted each year."
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He continued: "In the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion can be planted under this initiative.
"Even with a survival rate of only 10 per cent, this would mean an additional 525 million trees would be available for the youth to enjoy, when they assume the mantle of leadership in the future."
Deforestation is one of the main causes of climate change, causing the depletion of oxygen in the atmosphere, and the ruining of natural wildlife habitats.
Due to illegal logging continuing in the country, the Philippines is one of the most severely deforested countries in the tropics. Over a century, the country has seen forest cover drop from 70 per cent to 20 per cent, Environmental Science For Social Change report.
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The country's propensity of typhoons (roughly 19 per year) paired with the absence of forest cover has paved the way for soil erosion and landslides. In turn, the country is facing food insecurity due to this soil erosion.
According to CNN Philippines, these trees will be planted in "forest lands, mangrove and protected areas, ancestral domains, civil and military reservations, urban areas under the greening plan of the local government units, inactive and abandoned mine sites, and other suitable lands".
The trees planted must also be "appropriate to the location, climate and topography of the area" while there will be "a preference for the planting of indigenous tree species".
We think more countries should learn by the Philippines' example on this one.
Topics: Environment, Life News, Life