Nations should redirect 1% of military spending towards reforestation, Mexico proposes
news.mongabay.com
MEXICO CITY — President Claudia Sheinbaum has proposed dedicating 1% of the military annual budgets of the world’s biggest economies to support reforestation of around 15 million hectares (37 million acres) across the globe. “It’s absurd and senseless that more is spent on weapons than on addressing poverty or climate change,” Sheinbaum said during this […]

Key ideas:

  • Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed allocating 1% of the military’s annual spending, or around $24 billion, to support six million tree planters in the reforestation of around 15 million hectares (37 million acres).
  • If carried out successfully, it would be the largest reforestation effort in the country’s history, equivalent to the surface area of all of Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador combined.
  • Military participation in reforestation programs has struggled in other parts of the region, critics noted, while pointing out that Mexico’s congress may cut funding for conservation in other government agencies.