China is quietly replacing much of the world’s lost forests. In one of the greatest environmental turnarounds in history, China has added more than 500,000 km² of forest since 1990. In 2022 it pledged to plant, conserve, restore, and manage 70 billion trees by 2032—a cornerstone of the global ‘1 Trillion Trees’ initiative to supercharge carbon sinks and biodiversity.

In 2024 alone:
• 4.45 million hectares of new trees planted
• 3.22 million hectares of grassland restored
• 2.78 million hectares reclaimed from desert

That pushed national forest cover past 25% (up from ~12% in the 1980s) blasting past the 2025 target of 24.1% ahead of schedule. Cumulative restoration since 2012 now exceeds 70 million hectares. 

Meanwhile, humanity has destroyed more than half the world’s original native forests—mostly for agriculture. Today’s forests still cover ~31% of global land (the vast Taiga being the biggest survivor) but the Amazon tells a far darker story: 17–26 % already gone. Brazilian deforestation is up 27 % in 2025 so far, much of it arson-driven.

China’s ‘I Plant a Tree for the Climate’ campaign, run by the China Green Foundation, shows how top-down ambition can meet grassroots action. While others talk, China plants. It’s a genuine game-changer for a greener planet—hats off.

Source: China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration, 2024 & https://x.com/PeterDClack