Speaking at a news conference last Friday, Spain’s Environment Minister Elena Espinosa announced plans to establish a Climate Change Research Institute in the Northeastern city of Zaragoza. She also unveiled an exciting initiative to plant 45 million trees across the country between 2009 and 2012, roughly one for every member of the population.

Amongst European nations, Spain stands to suffer more than most from the effects of climate change and global warming, with nearly a third of the nation’s roughly 200,000 square miles threatened with a “significant risk” of desertification. In direct response to the threat, the government will invest around 90 million Euros as part of the reforestation drive.

Espinsosa revealed that the main aim of the Climate Change Institute “will be to promote the analysis and research of climate change in Spain” and also to recommend measures that the country could adopt to address the growing challenge.

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