Tree-planting alone won't solve climate change, but it's still important. Let's delve into it.
We need to reduce emissions
The main cause for climate change is the high amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released into the atmosphere from human activity, including from transport, burning fossil fuels for energy, and agriculture. So, to prevent the worst effects of climate change from happening, the most important thing to do right now is to reduce these emissions as quickly and drastically as possible, on a global scale.
This is why we've built technology for Tred that allows businesses to easily understand their carbon footprint and reduce their emissions, and we encourage this as the primary way to reduce your impact on the environment.
So, why reforestation?
Historically, many parts of the world have had areas that have been significantly deforested, mostly to free up land for agriculture, or for the use of the wood itself.
Trees and forests remove and store carbon (GHGs) from the atmosphere, and so are essential for maintaining a healthy climate and minimising the consequences of climate change in the long-term. They also provide other vital functions for our environment and for humanity; they are home to over 80% of the earth’s biodiversity, they help prevent landslides and floods, and provide fuel and food for 1.6 billion people.
Planting trees where they have been removed helps restore these functions to the environment, providing benefits to the local people such as cleaner air and water, habitat for endangered species, and helping our planet fight climate change.
Also, at Tred, we only support projects that take a holistic approach to reforestation, ensuring that any action that is taken provides a benefit for people and the environment.
Both is best
While the positive impact of reforestation will take longer to come into effect (as trees will become better at removing GHGs and helping biodiversity when they've grown to be larger), restoring these environments is an investment in the future of the planet and the people living on it.
However, it isn't a substitute for the short-term emissions reductions which are essential for preventing the worst effects of climate change within the next few decades. Therefore, we need to be doing both things.