Social Media Campaign Sees 66 Million Trees Planted In India In 12 Hours

India is the third largest generator of carbon emissions, and following Donald Trump's recent decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on climate change, there is increased pressure on other nations to try and reduce their impact on the earth.

So, in a massive sign that the country is collectively responding to calls for action, hundreds of thousands of Indians have done their bit for the planet. Over the weekend, more than 66 million trees were planted along the Narmada river.

If that feat wasn't already impressive enough, the volunteers managed to do it in just 12 hours. That's more than five and a half million trees an hour.

Credit: Twitter/Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Credit: Twitter/Shivraj Singh Chouhan

A team from Guinness World Records is reportedly investigating whether the amazing operation ticks the boxes for a new record.

This massive undertaking is far from the first tree-planting project in India. Last year, nearly 50 million trees were planted in Uttar Pradesh in 24 hours.

Roughly 800,000 volunteers planted more than 80 species across the region, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said: "The world has realized that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change."

India has several environmental areas needing to be addressed. Credit: PA

One of the many environmental issues plaguing India. Credit: PA

A staggering 223 million people live in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which would make it the world's fifth most populous nation if it was a country in its own right.

As a part of the Paris Agreement, India agreed to increase its forests by five million hectares by 2030. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his country's commitment last month during a meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

Mr Modi told a press conference: "The protection of the environment and the mother planet is an article of faith."

While Mr Macron added: "We are both convinced that our countries have to do a lot for the ecological and environmental transition and the fight against global warming."

This is a brilliant step towards improving the state of the environment.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Topics: climate change

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie