*[Enwl-eng] SFB Weekly: The surprising downsides to planting trillions of trees
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SFB Weekly: The surprising downsides to planting trillions of treesView this email in your browser
A solutions-oriented weekly digest from Struggles From Below
01/10/21
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IMPORTANT: LAST CALL FOR PATRONS!
Dear reader,
We've come to an inflection point here at SFB headquarters: plough on in the face of economic uncertainty or call it quits and move on to pastures new. In advance of such a tricky choice, we've decided to make one last call for patronage in a final bid for the publication to stand on its own feet financially. So if you get any value out of the service we provide, we hope you will consider becoming one of our sustaining patrons – whether its enough for a monthly takeaway, a sandwich or even just a coffee, any little you can afford to spare would be so gratefully appreciated.
In exchange, we pledge that if we cross the £500/month-mark, we'll publish a new longread or photo essay every week along with the newsletter. And if we hit £1000/month, we'll launch a new solutions-focused podcast.
Of course, we'll keep you informed of our decision in the coming weeks. But whatever happens, we wish you a heartfelt thanks for your all your time and support so far!
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Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Struggles From Below
Become an SFB Patron
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Large tree-planting initiatives often fail – and some have even fuelled deforestation. In our top read this week, Vox's Benji Jones discovers there's a better way to restore forests.
On 11 November 2019, volunteers planted 11 million trees in Turkey as part of a government-backed initiative called Breath for the Future. In one northern city, the tree-planting campaign set the Guinness World Record for the most saplings planted in one hour in a single location: 303,150.
“By planting millions of young trees, the nation is working to foster a new, lush green Turkey,” Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said when he kicked off the project in Ankara.
Less than three months later, up to 90% of the saplings were dead. The trees were planted at the wrong time and there wasn’t enough rainfall to support the saplings.
In the past two decades, mass tree-planting campaigns like this one have gained popularity as a salve for many of our modern woes, from climate change to the extinction crisis. Companies and billionaires love these kinds of initiatives. So do politicians. Really, what’s not to like about trees? They suck up carbon emissions naturally while providing resources for wildlife and humans – and they’re even nice to look at. It sounds like a win-win-win.
There’s just one problem: These campaigns often don’t work, and sometimes they can even fuel deforestation.
In one recent study in the journal Nature, for example, researchers examined long-term restoration efforts in northern India, a country that has invested huge amounts of money into planting over the last 50 years. The authors found “no evidence” that planting offered substantial climate benefits or supported the livelihoods of local communities.
The study is among the most comprehensive analyses of restoration projects to date, but it’s just one example in a litany of failed campaigns that call into question the value of big tree-planting initiatives. Often, the allure of bold targets obscures the challenges involved in seeing them through, and the underlying forces that destroy ecosystems in the first place.
Instead of focusing on planting huge numbers of trees, we should focus on growing trees for the long haul, protecting and restoring ecosystems beyond just forests, and empowering the local communities that are best positioned to care for them.
Read the article
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What we're reading:
How Zurich blazed a trail for recycled concrete
The Swiss city requires recycled concrete to be used in the construction of public buildings. Now other cities are following its lead. BLOOMBERG CITYLAB
How machine learning is identifying new, better drugs
Artificial intelligence has revolutionised the drug development process, making the work faster, more efficient, and more effective. WIRED
Record $5bn donation to protect nature could herald new green era of giving
Philanthropists pledge to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030, as the planet’s health climbs the charity agenda. THE GUARDIAN
How sea otters can fight climate change
Sea otters were hunted to the brink in the 19th Century fur trade, but their numbers have been slowly recovering since. The return of these playful creatures doesn't just transform their ecosystems, it can turn them into a powerful carbon sink. BBC FUTURE PLANET
Pollution to products? Recycled carbon emissions are coming to consumer shelves
Around the world, technological innovations to capture, store, reuse or replace carbon pollution are on the rise. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
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One to ponder:
Has Covid ended the neoliberal era?
The year 2020 exposed the risks and weaknesses of the market-driven global system like never before. It’s hard to avoid the sense that a turning point has been reached. THE GUARDIAN
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Quote of the week:
“What is success? It is an inner and indescribable force, resourcefulness, power of vision; a consciousness that I am, by my mere existence, exerting pressure on the movement of life about me. It is my belief in the adaptability of life to my own ends. Fortune and success lie within ourselves. We must hold them firmly—deep within us.” – Thomas Mann
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Song of the week:
Celestial Choir - Stand On The Word (Larry Levan Mix)
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That's it for today, folks. If you're enjoying this newsletter, please do forward it on to any friends who might be into it.
All the best,
Ollie
Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Struggles From Below
Copyright © 2019 Struggles From Below, All rights reserved.
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From: Struggles From Below
Sent: Friday, October 01, 2021 10:00 AM
Subject: SFB Weekly: The surprising downsides to planting trillions of trees
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