Trees Are Wonderful But Growth Takes Time

The trouble with trees as a climate crisis solution; Readers respond to a proposal that planting billions of trillion trees worldwide is the best way to save the planet

5 July 2019 (UK Guardian)

“…[Forest restoration at a global scale could help capture emissions and mitigate climate change. Up to 0.9 billion hectares of forest could be added, with over 500 billion trees decreasing emissions an estimated 25%. But the theory challenges] global socioeconomic reality…The Amazon forest is being cleared so that Brazil can produce more beef and soya to send abroad. Much of the trade is handled by multinationals. This will stop only if there is a major shake-up in the world food system. Consumers worldwide must stop eating food that is causing forest devastation…

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[Also, it is likely to] take 50-100 years to have full effect…[but the International Panel on Climate Change warned] we have only 11 years to halve global emissions to meet their 1.5C target…[Also,] billions of trees will accelerate the extinction crisis, since closed canopy forest is not the natural state of most areas of continents…[It] may be one way of solving the problem, but will create more. Perhaps we can just produce less carbon…We have the technology…” click here for more

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