Libya planting one million trees by 2026

On the July 29th the National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya announced the third phase of its “Million Trees” initiative is preparing to launch, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and to promote environmental sustainability in the areas surrounding the oil production zones, as reported by the Libya Review.

The focus of the campaign is planting trees to restore biodiversity, improve air quality and absorb carbon dioxide at the oil sites and the surrounding municipalities. The NOC have stated, they will be targeting industrial areas with the highest concentration of environmental impacts from the oil operations within this third phase; the campaign will also be expanded to nearby communities affected by the pollution and desertification. 

According to the NOC, the initiative is part of Libya’s long term sustainability plan of planting one million trees across the country by 2026, the first and second phases have seen thousands of trees planted so far. Each of the stages have been planned to cover both community and ecological needs, with efforts being in collaboration with local partners, international organisations and workers across gas and oil.

Finalised in April, the second phase of the initiative saw more than 55,000 trees planted, with a focus on the Al-Wahat region; the third phase is expanding upon that model by spreading their efforts to regions with similar environmental pressures.

Owing to Libya’s oil industries key role in the national economy and with the probable expansions in output coming from new oil exploration, the NOC has positioned the million trees campaign as a figurehead of their environmental and social responsibility initiatives.

The Libya Review/ Maghrebi.org