海角大神

Volunteers in India鈥檚 most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, may have set records on Monday through their effort to . Uttar Pradesh leadership was upfront about its desire to break a Guinness World Record with the feat.

While this reforestation initiative is just one tiny part of India鈥檚 ongoing efforts to meet its commitments under the international climate agreement forged in Paris late last year, experts say it could be indicative of progress on India鈥檚 major climate change goals.

鈥淭his initiative can be a step towards progress on some level,鈥� says Edward Parson, an environmental law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles,聽in a phone interview with 海角大神, 鈥渂ut it is at best a small contribution to India鈥檚 greater climate commitments.鈥�

According to Varun Sivaram, a fellow at the聽Council on Foreign Relations with expertise in聽sustainable urbanization,聽India signaled its seriousness about addressing climate issues when it released its (INDC), or the goals it intends to meet to address global climate change in the context of its own national policy goals.

In its INDC, India signaled that working to create a green and energy-efficient transportation network, promote a clean and efficient energy system, and engage in planned afforestation efforts, were among the country鈥檚 top priorities.

鈥淭his planting project is evidence that India is going ahead with its aforestation claim,鈥� Dr. Sivaram tells the Monitor by phone.聽

"The world has realized that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change,鈥� Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav told volunteers. 鈥淯ttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard."

More than 800,000 volunteers took part in the planting project this year. A similar project in Uttar Pradesh saw 10,000 trees planted last year, according to Anit Mukherjee, a policy fellow with the Center for Global Development, in a phone interview with the Monitor.

While Dr. Parson tells the Monitor that deforestation plays a small role in India鈥檚 net greenhouse gas emissions of about 3 billion metric tons per year, it is a significant problem, particularly in rural areas where people have less access to other cooking fuels, and where land demand is greater for subsistence agriculture.

With Uttar Pradesh鈥檚 emphasis on breaking the Guinness World Record for most trees planted in a single day, it is difficult to tell just how sincere the measure is. Yet, several experts tell the Monitor that while publicity might be a motivating factor, there is definitely more than a little sincerity to the effort.

鈥淲hen there鈥檚 enough noise about change, then there鈥檚 got to be some substance behind it,鈥� Parson says,

India鈥檚 national government has also inaugurated several progressive programs designed to tackle some of the country鈥檚 biggest climate issues in recent years, including a solar program intended to help wean India off of coal, one of the country鈥檚 biggest, and dirtiest, energy sources.

Still, human development remains one of the country鈥檚 highest priorities, meaning that at some point, the country is going to have to actually expand its energy use, a move that would appear to counter India鈥檚 stated interest in meeting its energy goals.

鈥淧overty eradication and social and economic development are ,鈥� said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in 2009.

What must India do to ensure that reforestation efforts are as effective as they can be?

The Associated Press reports that approximately 60 percent of new saplings planted . Experts say that in order to make this record-breaking planting worthwhile, the tiny trees need care.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just plant the trees,鈥� Parson tells the Monitor, 鈥淥f course it is great to plant 50 million trees, but you also need to have procedures in place to care for them and protect them.

Experts also say that in order to have the most impact, tree-planting projects will need to be coordinated at a national level.

鈥淭here are a lot of benefits from a project like this,鈥� said Ankur Desai, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. 鈥淏ut for it to be most effective, it requires a certain level of coordinated effort.鈥�

And the country seems to be taking steps in that direction, with India planning to spend $6.2 billion in a . By 2030, India hopes to create a cumulative forest sink of up to 3 billion tons, or up to 200 million tons per year.

鈥淭he biggest contribution of this tree planting project is, apart from the tokenism, that it focuses on the major issues,鈥� Dr. Mukherjee tells the Monitor. 鈥淚t addresses many of the big issues for India: Pollution, deforestation, and land use.鈥�

It will likely take the Guinness Book of World Records up to two months to verify whether the tree-planting project has broken the world record.