In a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly reviewed the key elements of the presidential initiative, which will start with a campaign to plant trees along the country's highways.

Madbouly said each governorate should determine the roads and spaces that are suitable to be parks and gardens, according to a cabinet statement issued following the meeting.

Around 9,900 locations covering more than 6,600 feddans countrywide have been chosen to build forests and public parks, Minister of Local Development Mahmoud Sharaawy said at the meeting.

The initiative is set to be implemented in cooperation between governmental and non-governmental bodies, Sharaawy added.

The presidential initiative of planting 100 million trees aims to double per capita green spaces, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases, and therefore improve public health, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, who also attended the cabinet meeting, said.

Alongside the environmental and health objectives, the initiative also aims to achieve economic outcomes, Fouad pointed out.

Several forests will depend on treated wastewater, Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir said during the meeting, adding that his ministry will determine the types of trees that will be planted and will provide the needed seedlings.

The Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh will host COP27 between 7-18 November.

Egypt is stepping up its efforts to counter climate change, launching the 2050 national strategy for climate change, which outlines the country's vision on cutting emissions in various sectors to maintain sustainable economic growth, promoting the use of renewable energy sources, producing energy from waste, and using alternative energy forms like green hydrogen.

Egypt has also launched many projects to increase reliance on renewables to reduce greenhouse gases and to upgrade its transport services by building electric trains to reduce carbon emissions.

Egypt is also planning to encourage farmers to adopt new genotypes and technologies and build resilience to unusual weather events in the Nile Delta to address the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, livelihoods and food security, according to a report issued by global management consulting firm` Boston Consulting Group.