China has an air pollution problem. But recently the country has worked to improve its air quality and reduce emissions. In 2017, China elected to shut down 40 percent of its factories , and announced plans to ban diesel-powered cars . In 2018, it became home to the world’s largest smog tower that is capable of reducing nearby air pollution by 15 percent. Now, China is proceeding with a new plan : planting trees — 84,000 square kilometers (32,400 square miles) of them, to be exact. Currently, China has roughly 208 million hectares of forested area. Throughout 2018, the country hopes increase its total forest coverage from 21 percent to 23 percent, and tasked roughly 60,000 soldiers to handle the job, according to Asia Times . A regiment of the People’s Liberation Army, as well as the nation’s armed police force, have been pulled from their posts on the northern border for the project. The Independent reports that Zhang Jianlong, head of China’s State Forestry Administration, said the country’s total forest coverage could reach as high as 26 percent in less than two decades. CNN Hopes You Never See This Hillary Video Most of the troops are being dispatched […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute
