Claudia Sheinbaum

MEXICO CITY — Officials in Mexico said they’re considering allocating 1% of the military budget for a countrywide tree planting program, with the aim of restoring forests and combatting climate change. President Claudia Sheinbaum proposed dedicating $24 billion of the military’s annual budget to support six million tree planters in the reforestation of around 15 million hectares (37 million acres) across Mexico. The initiative isn’t official yet and doesn’t have a confirmed start date. …Sheinbaum is a former environmental scientist who co-authored the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. She took office in October. …Sheinbaum’s reforestation proposal comes at the same time that lawmakers prepare to slash environmental funding in other parts of Mexico’s government. …Reforestation is slow, and trees require long-term care, they said. In some parts of the world, around half of all reforested trees die within the first ten years of being planted.