Adena, Spain’s branch of the World Wildlife Fund, says that nearly 30 per cent of the country is becoming desert because of global warming. I suspect that some options might be constructing underground watering systems, irrigation above ground, or designing Safari vacations. But no, Spain is going to plant 45 million trees from 2009 to 2012 in a bid to halt the country’s increasing desertification.  The Socialist Party, which was re-elected in March, made a campaign promise to plant a tree for each of Spain’s inabitants.  A tree for every person.

The value of trees and the consequences of losing trees is quite well known but the idea of massive planting is a simple, relatively inexpensive ecological contribution to helping solve multiple problems.

Perhaps we, the US, might consider what  effect a similar approach to the  changes we are experiencing this might have, as well as contributing to the aesthetics of any community taking on such a project.