JANUARY 17, 2023
New Delhi: Adani Group, the conglomerate led by India’s richest billionaire Gautam Adani, on Monday made the country’s biggest plantation pledge. As part of India’s declaration to take a leading position in its commitment at Paris COP 21, the conglomerate has vowed to plant 10 crore trees by 2030.
The Adani-led group made this commitment on the 1t.org — the ‘Trillion Trees Platform’ of the World Economic Forum (WEF), making it the biggest plantation pledge in India so far. 1t.org is a multi-stakeholder platform serving a global movement to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees by 2030, in support of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
The World Economic Forum kicked off its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland from January 16 and will be held till January 20. The theme for this year is “Cooperation in a fragmented world” which aims to address the most pressing issues facing the world and to promote innovative solutions.
Adani’s pledge to plant trees
“The sheer scale of ambition of 1t.org to plant a trillion trees is simply inspiring. It is a reflection of the resilience of humanity and what can be achieved through the collective power of likeminded people that are determined to fight for a cause,” 60-year-old industrialist Adani said.
Gautam Adani believes that restoring ecosystems, reversing loss of biodiversity, and reducing soil erosion are all essential for building a greener world. In this context, the billionaire, pledged that the Adani Group will plant 10 crore trees in the next seven years by 2030.
The move is part of India’s declaration to take a leading position in its commitment at Paris COP 21 to create additional carbon sinks of 2.5-3.0 billion tons of CO2, the Adani Group Chairman added.
The trillion trees initiative is aimed at reducing the speed of climate change by doing away with large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, providing much-needed progress towards climate, biodiversity and SDGs.
“The global goal to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees is ambitious but achievable. The Adani Group is at the forefront of this ambition to tackle the climate and nature crises. The 1t.org India Platform is growing, with more businesses, ecopreneurs, community groups, and youth joining the movement,” ToI quoted Nicole Schwab, Director, 1t.org and Nature-Based Solutions at World Economic Forum, as saying.
The Adani Group added that it has already planted 2.9 crore trees, which it pledges to conserve. “The Group aims to have 37.10 million mangrove trees by 2030. This includes conservation as well as afforestation,” the conglomerate announced in a statement.
Mangroves protect coastlines, enhance marine biodiversity, provide local livelihood, prevent saline water ingress, provide breeding ground for fish and other aquatic organisms, and offer many other benefits. In addition to this, Gautam Adani’s group also targets terrestrial plantations of 63.08 million trees by 2030.
These trees would offer benefits in terms of reducing air pollution, providing thermal comfort, recharging the groundwater tables, and preventing soil erosion.
Courtesy/Source: Times Now / PTI
