Yes, you read it right. It’s a common perception that by planting more and more trees, we can reverse climate change miraculously. It’s reasonable to believe in this to some extent. We must grow maximum trees for the welfare of living beings. Leaders of the powerful nations are supporting plantation drives. Promises and commitments are delivered when top administrators address and certainly, deadlines are being met. Have you ever wondered that there’s a lot more to be done to undo the crime committed by us in the past. We have been lavishly contributing to carbon emissions for the last few decades. The rate of emissions is unquestionably more than the rate at which trees are cultivated. Do you think that just a few tree plantation drives can help us regain the pure atmosphere?

Supplement Tree plantation with reduction in emissions

I don’t say that growing trees for saving the environment is a bad idea. Instead, I recommend we should also look for more efforts to fight the devil of bad emissions. Humanity should not be given false hopes of climate change being nullified completely by tree-planting. Every human will have to put in his efforts to make this happen. Cutting emissions is the only way to dilute Climate Change significantly. Trees were and will be there to make our lives easier by releasing life-saving gases and absorbing harmful Carbon Dioxide. Don’t stop growing trees. Rather, supplement tree planting with the cutting of the toxic emissions and hope for a better environment in the next few years.

Research angle

A couple of years ago, the researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich estimated that if we plant additional trillion trees, it would be sufficient to reduce two-thirds of the carbon emitted by humans in the last few decades. The number seemed to be unbelievably huge. But, the scientists strengthened their point by citing that there were about six trillion trees on the Earth before humans came into existence. Due to human activities of cutting trees and burning fossil fuels, the number today is about three trillion. The scientists claimed that by planting trees global warming can be stopped completely.

The concept received a lot of criticism. University of Berkeley scientist Zeke Hausfather said that the Zurich scientists overestimated the factor by which the tree planting would reduce emissions. His calculations showed that trees can erase the emissions of the last 8-9 years.

Planting a trillion trees will not stop Climate Change

Now, it’s over to us. My observation is:

1. Trees can absorb carbon dioxide but they can’t undo global warming on their own.

2. Trees should be planted more than before. We should never stop doing it because trees are our ultimate source of living on Earth.

3. Along with the planting of trees, we must seriously think of reducing our carbon footprint. Trees alone can not stop Climate Change. It’s like one person at home is cleaning up and the others are doing their best to trash his efforts.

4. Open your eyes to the fast-approaching global warming. Accept that life on Earth can flourish only if each one of us takes a pledge to control the emission of carbon.

This post is a part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter!