Novartis to tackle climate change with Sichuan tree planting project

Markus Lehni travels at least once a year from Switzerland to Southwest China's Sichuan province to check on the millions of trees his company planted in remote mountain regions as part of reforestation projects that started four years ago.

As the global head of environment and energy for Swiss pharmaceutical maker Novartis International AG, Lehni believes that addressing climate change requires sustained corporate action.

The company started the Sichuan project in 2010, its third carbon-offset project worldwide. Two similar projects are located in the South American country of Argentina and in the Republic of Mali in West Africa.