Country's New Law Could Bring 525B New Trees to the World

Advocates for a new bill in the Philippines say it could result in 525 billion new trees over the course of a generation, and the ones set to be on the front lines for this initiative are students. The Independent and CNN Philippines report on the proposed legislation, which mandates each individual attending elementary school, high school, or college must, before graduation, plant at least 10 trees, which would absorb carbon in the air. The trees would be set down in a variety of locations, including forests, civil and military reservations, designated areas in cities, no-longer-in-use mine sites, ancestral domains, and other protected areas.

"The educational system shall be a locus for propagating ethical and sustainable use of natural resources among the young to ensure the cultivation of a socially responsible and conscious citizenry," reads the Graduation Legacy for the Environment Act, per Fox News. A variety of government agencies will oversee the logistics, including the setting up of nurseries, seedling production, and monitoring on how the trees are doing. The bill, which passed the Filipino House of Representatives earlier this month, must now be approved by the Senate, per a release. (More environmentalism stories.)