CAIRO — The Egyptian Coptic Church launched Dec. 25 an initiative to plant trees in the grounds of its churches and parishes in order to address climate change.

The church also announced a competition with prizes totaling 750,000 Egyptian pounds (roughly $48,000), provided that competitors choose trees suitable for the environment in which they will be planted, take into account landscaping and aesthetic appearance, and plant no less than 1,000 trees in every prominent parish.

The spokesman for the Egyptian Coptic Church, Moussa Ibrahim, told Al-Monitor, “The tree planting initiative stems from the church’s concerns about preserving the country and the world as a whole amid the climate change the planet is experiencing. The church had to take a stance and do something about it.”

He said, “The church has launched several initiatives to raise awareness about climate change especially in Egyptian villages, as well as its participation in several events and conferences organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Environment or civil society organizations concerned with climate change issues.”