PHNOM PENH: Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth announced a campaign to plant at least one million trees per year, to reach its 2030 goal of increasing forest coverage.

In the October 10 announcement, the minster urged people to plant trees, rehabilitate forests and protect the environment to increase forest cover and sell carbon credits to increase income in the community. He said that in order to ensure the sustainability of the environment and the livelihood of the community, people need to plant more trees, as a source of income through the sale of carbon credits. He said that infrastructure development will enable people to earn more than the current income through tourism.

The Minister of Environment said he considers environmental work to be of global importance and highlighted his ministry’s latest campaign “Today, I Will Not Use Plastic Bags” that began on September 1. The campaign aims to reach more than 11,000 schools across the country and more than 1.5 million students.

The newest campaign focuses on the rehabilitation of forests and the replanting of trees to achieve carbon neutrality and allow communities to respond to climate change. The goal is to increase forest coverage by 60% over seven years by planting one million trees per year, along with bamboo. The ministry plans to partner with organizations to address global climate change concerns.

The new administration’s economic Pentagon Strategy aims to ensure the sustainability of socio-economic development and build resilience to climate change through sustainable development. The plan focuses on attracting investment to high-value-added green industries.