In an effort to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement and create a “climate positive” organization, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is spearheading a new four-year initiative to plant 355,000 native trees across dozens of villages in the countries of Mali and Senegal. The effort, in partnership with the non-profit Tree Aid, will cover more than 5,238 acres of land presently under threat from forces such as soil degradation, drought, and extreme flooding.
“The Olympic Forest will support communities in Mali and Senegal by increasing their climate resilience, food security and income opportunities, and will help the IOC become climate positive already by 2024,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a release. “The Olympic Movement is about building a better world through sport, and the Olympic Forest is an example of that.”
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More than just an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, the IOC sees its new “Olympic Forest” as an opportunity to both educate and provide long-term sustainable benefits to more than 90 villages through agroforestry and commercial use of non-timber products such as nuts, fruits, and fibers. In Senegal, host of the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, the mass planting is seen as a reflection of how the country and its citizens will need to work together to fight climate change.
“With Dakar 2026, our goal is to go beyond sport and use the Games as an opportunity to raise young people’s awareness, and beyond them that of the various stakeholders, about today’s sustainability challenges and ways in which we can help address them,” said IOC Member Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, said. “This approach is in line with the country’s priorities and reflected in the Dakar 2026 Edition Plan. The Olympic Forest paves the way in this direction.”
Source: Treehugger
