China's large-scale tree-planting initiative, the Three-North Shelterbelt Program (also known as the "Great Green Wall"), has shown success in transforming parts of the Taklamakan desert's margins into a carbon sink. This decades-long effort has stabilized sand dunes and increased forest cover, though experts highlight concerns regarding the strain on scarce water resources.
China's large-scale tree-planting initiative, the Three-North Shelterbelt Program (also known as the "Great Green Wall"), has shown success in transforming parts of the Taklamakan desert's margins into a carbon sink. This decades-long effort has stabilized sand dunes and increased forest cover, though experts highlight concerns regarding the strain on scarce water resources. Project Overview and Achievements Massive Scale: - Launched in 1978 and scheduled for completion by 2050, the program is one of the world's largest afforestation projects, aiming to plant billions of trees across arid northern China. To date, more than 66 billion trees have been planted. Carbon Sink:,- A 2026 study in the PNAS journal confirmed that the newly vegetated margins of the Taklamakan Desert are absorbing more carbon dioxide than they emit, effectively functioning as a carbon sink. Desertification Control: - The initiative has helped stabilize sand dunes, reduced the frequenc...