More than a million Indians planted 220 million trees on August 9, 2019 in a government campaign to tackle climate change and improve the environment in the country’s most populous state.

Forest official Bivhas Ranjan said students, lawmakers, officials and others planted dozens of species of saplings along roads, rail tracks and in forest lands in northern Uttar Pradesh state. The target of 220 million saplings was achieved. Ranjan said the trees, including 16 fruit species, will increase forest cover in the state.

India has pledged to keep one-third of its land area under tree cover, but its 1.3 billion people and rapid industrialization are hampering its efforts.

“We set the target of 220 million because Uttar Pradesh is home to 220 million people,” said state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Planting was carried out in 1,430,381 places, including 60,000 villages and 83,000 sites in forest ranges. It was the second huge tree planting campaign in Uttar Pradesh. In July 2016, 50 million saplings were planted in a day.

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With India experiencing its worst drought in 140 years, Indian farmers have taken to the streets. At a protest in Madhya Pradesh this summer, police opened fire on farmers demanding debt relief and better crop prices.

In Tamil Nadu, angry growers have held similar protests, and lit candles in remembrance of those killed. And at one rally in New Delhi, farmers carried human skulls, which they say belonged to farmers who have committed suicide following devastating crop losses over the past six months.

Beyond exposing failed farming policies, this year’s drought-fueled turmoil also underscores the threat that climate change poses not just to India, but to all countries. As global temperatures rise and droughts become more common, political agitation, social unrest, and even violence will likely follow.

In 2008, when severe weather cut into the world’s grain supply and drove up food prices, countries ranging from Morocco to Indonesia experienced social and political upheavals. More recently, food insecurity has been used as a weapon in the wars in Yemen and Syria.

According to the Center for Climate and Security, failure to address such “climate-driven risks” could lead to increased fighting over water, food, energy, and land, particularly in already unstable regions. CCS identifies 12 “epicenters” where climate change might ignite or exacerbate conflicts that could engulf large populations, and spill across national borders.

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Armed with a variety of garden tools and toting buckets of water, a volunteer army in India planted more than 66 million trees in 12 hours as part of a record-breaking environmental pledge.

More than 1.5 million people gathered on July 2, 2017 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to plant saplings along the Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the news on Twitter. “By planting trees we are not only serving Madhya Pradesh but the world at large,” he tweeted.

In 2016, volunteers set a world record in Uttar Pradesh by planting more than 50 million trees in a day.

Representatives from Guinness World Records reportedly monitored the plantings and are expected to confirm the new record within a few weeks.

Under the Paris Agreement, India agreed to spend $6 billion to reforest 12 percent of its land, increasing its total forest cover to 235 million acres by 2030, according to National Geographic.

Volunteers planted more than 20 different species of trees in two dozen areas along the river basin to increase the saplings’ chances of survival.

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Scientists say global emissions need to peak and drop soon if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change.

“The world is not expecting… India to announce its peaking year,” said Prakash Javadekar. “Countries know where India stands and what its requirements [development needs] are and therefore nobody has asked us for [the] peaking year.” The peaking year is when a country’s emissions reach the highest level before they begin to drop.

Beijing went public with its peak year when it submitted its climate plan to the United Nations climate convention. The US has pledged to cut its carbon emissions by 26-28% by 2025.

All 190 plus countries in the convention have been asked to submit their climate plans – known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) – in the UN negotiations. Over 40 countries have submitted them and many eyes are now on India.

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This ancient fort is historically significant as well. Battles took place during the reign of Shivaji here. The fort of Salher was captured by Shivaji in 1671, during his campaign of the Baglan region. The Marathas defeated the Mughal generals Ikhlaas Khan and Bahlol Khan in a battle, which saw tremendous destruction all over. The 120,000 troops of Shivaji lost 10,000.

Once you reach the top, you can see a few temples around the fort. Just further ahead, are two water cisterns and a bit further the Gangasagar Lake comes into view. Next to the lake are the roofless temples of Renuka Devi and Ganesh.

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