"At the heart of this initiative are mangroves, known for their unique ability to sequester carbon, protect coastal areas from erosion, and support for marine life and food security," explains Urb. "With the capacity to absorb approximately 12.3 kg [27 lb] of CO2 annually per tree, the entire project can sequester 1.23 million tonnes [1.35 US tons] of CO2 each year, the equivalent of removing the CO2 emitted by more than 260,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the roads each year." In addition to sequestering CO2 and helping natural sea defenses, the huge mangrove plantation would also serve as nurseries for marine life, improving fish stocks and helping to filter the water with their roots, says Urb. Planting such a mind-boggling number of trees would of course be a massive undertaking in itself and would take many years. To speed things up, Urb proposes using AI-powered drones and satellite imagery to monitor and enhance the growth and health of the mangrove trees.