Trees are integral to our survival. By breathing in our expelled carbon dioxide, they help reduce global warming. We know this, yet deforestation is rampant.
In the Philippines, a unique initiative should ensure that conservation is top of mind for every student.
In 2017, a section of forest the size of a soccer field was lost every single second because of deforestation. The issue effects not just humans, but animals too, because deforestation represents loss of habitat.
Tree planting initiatives are present all over the world. Whether it's a company pledging to plant a tree for every sale made, or a community setting a tree planting goal, replacing our planet's lost trees is a global effort.
Young people will inherit this mess we've made, so it makes sense that they're interested in conservation. In the Philippines, it's long been a tradition that students plant trees before they graduate.
The government has passed a bill, the 'Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act, requiring students to plant trees before they're given their diploma. The bill will go on to the Filipino Senate for approval.
From elementary to high school and all the way through college, all students are expected to get in on the new requirement. It isn't known whether this means they need to plant ten trees total, or ten trees per level of school.
Over a 15-year period from 1990 to 2005, the country lost nearly a third of its forest, thanks in large part to illegal operations. If passed, the new bill would see at least 175 million new trees planted each year.
Politicians who sponsored the bill say that, over the course of a generation, over half a trillion trees would grow strong. Incredibly, this number represents just 10 percent of trees planted, assuming a survival rate of 10 percent.
The program will reportedly target various areas, including mangrove swamps, existing forests, protected areas, and military ranges. In each case, steps will be taken to ensure that the trees are suitable for the area.
Sponsors of the bill note how many graduates would potentially be planting trees. The country has 12 million elementary school grads, five million high school grads and half a million college grads each year.
Notably, it helps repopulate a heavily deforested country with trees. But it also codifies into law the expectation that young people need to have an eye for conservation as they grow up.
The Senate will decide whether the bill becomes law. But given the Philippines' history of tree planting being a tradition for young people, along with a need for new trees, it seems like a no-brainer.
Tree planting is an awesome way to not just help the environment, but also teach us lessons about the value of the natural world. Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section!
