In a commitment made at the UN Climate Change Summit in New York last month, the government of Ethiopia has pledged to restore 15 million hectares of degraded land—one sixth of the country. At the climate summit, “governments, companies and civil society groups together agreed to try to restore 350m hectares of deforested landscapes—an area the size of India—by 2030.” The commitment by Ethiopia was the largest of these. The programs will build upon dramatically successful agro-forestry efforts in Ethiopia and other African countries to restore land that has been degraded by drought and overgrazing. These restoration commitments are seen as vital for adapting to climate change and ensuring sufficient food supplies for growing populations. Similar commitments are expected from other countries leading up to the December 2015 climate talks in Paris as restoration of degraded land is expected to qualify for carbon credits. For the full story, see: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/30/regreening-program-to-restore-land-across-one-sixth-of-ethiopia.