The Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign is a pioneering worldwide tree planting initiative spearheaded by UNEP. It was launched as one of the responses to the threat of global warming, as well as to the wider sustainability challenges from water supplies to biodiversity loss. The campaign, which is placed under the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Wangari Maathai and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, has empowered individuals, communities, business and industry, civil society organizations and governments to take simple, positive steps to protect our fragile planet.

A winner of the UN 21 award, the Billion Tree Campaign has become a practical expression of private and public concern over global warming. Less than two years after it was launched, the campaign’s website, www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign, registered 2.3 billion planted trees and 3.9 tree planting pledges from 166 countries. To define the pace of development, which is both equitable and sustainable, one has to take into account the increased vulnerability of ecosystems to the phenomenon of climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides specific information on the nature of future impacts. Climate change is projected to impinge on sustainable development in most developing countries as it compounds the pressures on natural resources and the environment associated with rapid urbanization and economic development. Glacier melt will be followed by decreased river flows, and freshwater availability is projected to decrease. By the 2050s, billions of people could be adversely affected. Endemic morbidity and mortality are expected to rise due to increases in coastal water temperatures. Therefore, in the face of recent alarming data, the Billion Tree Campaign offers hope and a simple solution for climate change mitigation, while enriching biodiversity.

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