A record-breaking campaign this past Sunday saw 1.5 million volunteers plant more than 66 million trees in a 12 hour span across the large central state of Madhya Pradesh in India.

The previous world record was set last year and saw 49.3 million saplings planted over a 24-hour period in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. The state-sponsored initiatives are in response to the Paris Climate Change Conference where India vowed to increase their forest coverage 5+ million hectares by 2030. The Indian Government has pledged $6.2 billion toward the agreement, encouraging states to join the effort. [source]

According to the Independent:

Observers from Guinness World Records also monitored Sunday’s plantation and are expected to confirm in the coming weeks that the effort set a new high. The campaign was organised by the Madhya Pradesh government, with 24 districts of the Narmada river basin chosen as planting sites to increase the saplings’ chances of survival. Volunteers planted more than 20 different species of trees. [source]

 

India is the world’s third largest generator of carbon emissions.
 
[Sources: The Independent, National Geographic]