Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Thursday proposed the U.S. government offer temporary work visas and eventually citizenship to those who would take part in a huge reforestation program.

Lopez Obrador said he plans to expand the said effort to Central America during a White House virtual climate summit.

The tree-planting program was his administration's signature "Sembrando Vida" or "Sowing Life." He said the program is planting 700,000 trees, according to a Reuters report.

The Mexican president called the effort the largest reforestation effort in the world, noting that it would generate 1.2 million jobs and plant three billion additional trees on expanding to southeastern Central America.

"I add a complementary proposal, with all due respect, the US government could offer those who participate in this program that after sowing their lands for three consecutive years, they would have the possibility to obtain a temporary work visa," Lopez Obrador said as reported by Today Online.

The Mexican president added that perhaps after another three or four years, those who participated in the reforestation program could obtain residency in the U.S. or dual nationality.

Lopez Obrador has been criticized for his stance over the pro-fossil fuel energy policy. During the climate summit, he did not make new commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Lopez Obrador said that Mexico is modernizing its hydroelectric plants to reduce the use of oil and coal to generate electricity. He said it would allow them to take advantage of the water from the reservoirs to produce more energy without causing any damage and building more dams.

READ NEXT: New Study Shows Climate Change Intensifies Tropical Storms, Depletes Oxygen

Biden's Climate Summit

During the climate summit, the U.S., Brazil, Japan, and South Korea announced new goals of cutting their emissions and achieving climate neutrality by 2050, according to the La Prensa Latina.

President Joe Biden is trying to reassert U.S. leadership in the fight against climate change three months after rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement. Biden said that this is the time to make decisions that will avoid the worse consequences of a climate crisis.

The new U.S. commitment consists of reducing emissions between 50 and 52 percent by 2030 from the 2005 levels, which is double the initial objective under the Paris Accord.

Biden said that the signs of climate change are unmistakable and the science is undeniable and the cost of inaction keeps mounting.

John Kerry, Biden's global climate change envoy, said he believes that the U.S. will meet and possibly exceed the new goal, according to The New York Times.

Other world leaders who also joined the summit were Chancellor Angella Merkel of Germany; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.

Both progressives and conservatives have criticized the administration's plans. Progressives argued that the U.S. should aim for at least a 70 percent reduction as compared to 2005 levels to address climate change, according to The Hill report.

On the other hand, Republicans claimed that new targets would be bad for U.S. workers. The Biden administration has explained that the transition to clean energy will bring new jobs to replace fossil jobs lost in the transition.

READ MORE: Climate Change Affects Mexico's Cradle of Corn

WATCH: The Mexican Village Planting 5 Million Trees - From Freethink