Justin Trudeau promised Greta Thunberg 2 billion trees. None have been planted

Justin Trudeau made a promise that Canada would plant two billion trees to fight climate change following a meeting with activist Greta Thunberg last year.

None so far have been planted, according to Montreal newspaper La Presse.

The Canadian prime minister met with the teenage environmentalist on 27 September, 2019, in the midst of his re-election campaign, and as thousands gathered for climate strikes in the country, and around the world.

On the same day, he tweeted: “We’ll plant 2 billion trees over the next ten years. That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

However, according to La Presse, Mr Trudeau’s Liberal government has not planted a single one for the initiative.

To have 2 billion trees in the ground by 2030, would mean planting 547,945 trees each day or 200 million a year.

The Independent sought comment from Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan’s office.

The minister’s spokesperson told CTV News that the government is already planting 600 million trees every year and that Mr Trudeau’s promise had been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The trees that were promised following the meeting with Ms Thunberg were reportedly to be part of a separate initiative.

Mr Trudeau met with the Ms Thunberg on the sidelines of the climate strike demonstration in Montreal last year which was attended by an estimated half a million people.

Following their meeting, she said: “He is of course obviously not doing enough but... this is such a huge problem.

“My message to all the politicians is the same, to just listen to the science, act on the science.”

Mr Trudeau took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019, with a minority government.

The son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Trudeau has focused on boosting social programs, raising taxes on the highest earners and stressing the need to fight climate change.

A recent surge in Covid-19 cases has forced the leader to scale back his plan to outline an ambitious green economic recovery package next week, Reuters reported on Friday.

Read more

The strange case of Trudeau's disappearing finance minister — and the left-wing Canadian future he was sacrificed for

Trudeau says Canada handled coronavirus pandemic better than US

‘Millions of people may be headed your way’: Californians could move to Canada as wildfires get worse, says former governor