75% of consumers say that businesses have a responsibility to the environment, with 88% saying sustainability impacts their buying choices.
For many businesses, the answer to this call has been to buy carbon credits which “offset” or “shift” their carbon impact, often contributing to reforestation and preservation.
However, a handful of unscrupulous companies have sown public doubt in these credit systems, after it was revealed that a number of planting and preservation projects were either misrepresented or completely falsified.
Additionally, there are some very real complications in using tree planting as a shorthand for carbon offsetting, not least of which is - ”How can a sapling which isn’t a tree yet be counted as currently offsetting or sequestering carbon emissions?” Trees near the equator take at least ten years to reach maturity, but many in the Northern hemisphere take eighty. How can a company claim to be sustainable if their business practices continue to pollute while their tree planting projects take a decade to mature or never really exist?
Broadly speaking, it’s these concerns that cause cries of “greenwashing” to follow companies that plant trees, but that doesn’t mean that tree planting has no value.
So let’s break down the promise of tree planting. Why is it the go-to method of offsetting, and what does it actually achieve?
Carbon Sequestration
Estimates vary, but scientists put the average lifetime carbon capture or “sequestration” of a single tree somewhere between 400 and 900kg of CO2e. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, that’s the equivalent of driving 1,000-2,300 miles in an average gasoline-powered vehicle! So if you’re planting hundreds (or thousands, or millions) of trees, the impact of that carbon being removed from the atmosphere adds up fast.
Biodiversity
Reforestation also contributes to healthy ecosystems and combatting biodiversity loss.
There’s a lot of focus on the 2.6 million hectares deforested annually in South America, but this is a global problem. In the UK alone, ⅓ of forests are currently in decline with 1/10 species at risk of extinction.
Tree cover provides safe haven to a vast array of species, from microbes and fungi, to insects, mammals and birds. Meanwhile, forests help create and protect soil, which is not only crucial in food production, but is one of the world’s most significant carbon sinks, storing 69% of global forest carbon.
Health and Social Wellbeing
Trees and green environments have been proven to improve human physical, emotional, and psychological health. Trees obviously filter air pollution, but green spaces also encourage physical activity, and the view of forests and greenery has been shown to improve hospital patients’ convalescence. Communities report feeling safer with trees, and studies show decreased volatility and violence in families surrounded by trees. Additionally, the act of planting and tending trees, with its tangible effort and outcome, has been linked to increased physical and mental health benefits.
Empowering Communities
Distinct and vital jobs and employment chains are created by tree planting, protection, and reforestation, which fuels local economies. This can have a revelatory impact on communities, particularly in historically impoverished regions such as the Global South, which have borne the brunt of climate impact and ecological decline.
Our partners at Eden Reforestation Projects, for example, are now providing fair wages to almost 15,000 workers around the world, with the projects providing vital infrastructure such as roads, medical centres, and schools to their communities.
So how can your trees have the most impact?
Given the scale of climate breakdown, we need to be planting vast quantities of fast growing trees that offer multiple environmental and social benefits. Location and species are key factors here.
For example, you may have noticed an emphasis on Mangrove forests in climate discourse. Mangroves grow next to Tropic and subTropic waterways, which means they only take ten years to mature (remember that from earlier?) and can therefore start sequestering carbon sooner than, say, an English Oak. They also clean and filter water, enrich soil, provide habitat for thousands of species, prevent erosion, and act as a battlement against natural disasters (which are on the rise thanks to climate change).
Over half of Eden Reforestation Projects sites are mangrove forests.
A gift to the future
So, yes, although it may be disingenuous to say you’re offsetting your company carbon footprint by planting trees and doing nothing else, in no way does that mean there’s no value in planting trees. Quite the opposite is true: Tree planting is a vital tool in combating climate breakdown, protecting vulnerable habitats, and empowering historically exploited communities.
Planting trees therefore becomes more than a marketing ploy- which is the root of public disdain for “greenwashing”. By acknowledging that the impacts are long-term and not to a business’ immediate material gain, it actually shows a deeper respect and commitment to the environment and future of the planet.
Tree planting shouldn’t be a way to dodge responsibility, but it’s an effective and impactful show of good faith to the planet and our grandchildren while we realistically disentangle, reduce, and start offsetting our carbon footprints.
**A previous version of this article listed the average lifetime sequestration of a tree as 400-900 tons CO2e instead of 400-900kg. Switch2Zero regrets the error.
