World leaders at the COP26 have woken up to the benefits of halting deforestation and desertification — a strategy pioneered by Saudi Arabia as part of the Saudi Green Initiative to combat climate change.
More than 100 countries, including the US, China and Brazil, signed a pledge on Tuesday to “collectively halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and promoting an inclusive rural transformation.” Together, the signatories comprise 80 percent of the world’s forested areas.
The pledge to plant more trees will be supported by a $12 billion fund for development backed by 12 countries, of which $1.5 billion will go to the Congo Basin, the second largest forested area on Earth after the Amazon.—Agencies
