India’s quest to plant 2 Billion Trees

India has outlined a plan where up to 300,000 youths would be hired to plant about 2 billion trees along that country’s highways, solving to major issue, unemployment and poor air quality.

A recent study, published in Chemical & Engineering News, found that the leaves on trees can catch a substantial amount of particles from road exhaust, upwards of 50%.

The research, conducted in the UK, measured the amount of air pollution that went into houses in Lancaster using devices that monitored dust and analysis of surface residue by the separation of iron-laden particles with magnetic techniques.

After initial data was collected, the scientists set up a tree line of 30 immature silver birch trees in front of each house for two weeks. The houses with screens had up to 65% lower metallic particle concentrations, and 50% reduction of all dust compared to the control group and confirmed that the hairy surfaces of the leaves trapped metallic particles with a scanning electron microscope.

“The length of National Highways in the country is one lakh kilometer (about 62,137 miles). I have asked officials to come out with a plan to plant 200 crore [2 billion] trees along these stretches which in turn would create jobs for the unemployed on the one hand and protect the environment on the other,”  – said Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Shipping and Rural Development Minister .

It seems as if India is plowing a path that the rest of the world could follow to help reduce pollution in major urban centers worldwide.