Amongst large companies, it has become common to see them invest in carbon offsets. What this means is that for every pound of carbon emission they release into the air, they invest in a solution that reduces carbon emissions by X percent in order to create a neutral carbon footprint. This is fairly common amongst companies that rely on factories, airports, plane carriers, politicians, and celebrities. However, these solutions are not as productive as they may seem.
One of the most popular solutions companies invest in to offset their carbon emission is planting trees. Even the United States passed a bipartisan act called the Trillions of Trees Act where the US committed to planting trees in order to combat climate change. It seems like a great solution. Planting trees combats deforestation, absorbs carbon, provides oxygen, and can even prevent flooding. On the surface, planting thousands of trees seems great. But why is that not a sustainable solution for offsetting carbon?
Well, planting trees is a performative fact. When you look at the statistics and the actual impact planting trees has, it is far lower than you might expect. In November of 2019, volunteers planted 11 million trees. After three months, only ten percent of the saplings they planted were still alive. They were planted at the wrong time and were not taken care of properly, leading to most of them dying. Organizations love this initiative, but after doing the research, it is not a productive mode in countering carbon emissions.
A study was done in India, a country who has invested in planting trees for over 50 years, and results concluded that it had no evidence of having a substantial positive effect on the environment or combatting carbon emissions. Rather than investing in mass numbers of trees being planted, companies need to invest in organizations that focus on regrowing trees for the future and preserving developed forests and ecosystems that we already have. In order to do that, companies must evaluate the resources and supplies they are using. Rather than investing millions of dollars in planting new trees, invest in solutions that cut down the number of trees being used for paper products that the company uses.
Another aspect that is not talked about enough when it comes to planting trees is the effect on the ecosystem. By cutting down trees, you are destroying ecosystems and homes to thousands of organisms that rely on that environment for food and shelter. However, when you prepare to plant trees, you are also disrupting the ecosystems of organisms that already inhabited that land. Land must be cleared to make space for the millions of trees that these companies and organizations pay to be planted.
Planting trees, and similar solutions to offsetting a carbon food print is all misdirection. It is the “easy way out” of real environmental change. It is far cheaper for companies to throw money at a performative solution than to actually invest in products that do not use fossil fuels and are not eating up billions of trees for paper products. If a company wants to pride itself on investing in sustainable solutions or being an “environmentally friendly company” they need to show it. Performative Action is out, real change is in. Put your money where your mouth is and invest in real sustainable solutions.
Sources:
“Benefits of Planting Trees.” Benefits of Planting Trees – Bowling Green, Kentucky – Official Municipal Website, www.bgky.org/tree/benefits#:~:text=Trees%20give%20off%20oxygen%20that,for%20many%20birds%20and%20mammals. Accessed Apr. 2024.
Jones, Benji. “The Surprising Downsides to Planting Trillions of Trees.” Vox, 22 Sept. 2021, www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22679378/tree-planting-forest-restoration-climate-solutions.
Skene, Jennifer. “Planting Trees Isn’t a Climate Plan-It’s a Distraction.” Be a Force for the Future, 13 Feb. 2020, www.nrdc.org/bio/jennifer-skene/planting-trees-isnt-climate-plan-its-distraction-0.
“Understanding Carbon Offsetting.” WWF, www.wwf.org.uk/myfootprint/challenges/understanding-carbon-offsetting. Accessed Apr. 2024.