Ride your bike more often, drive less, eat a vegan diet, and buy clothing either secondhand or from sustainable brands. We can and must do all these things to avoid releasing even more CO₂ into our atmosphere. However, this does nothing to change the fact that there is already far too much CO₂ in the air and that climate change is advancing rapidly. So what can we do to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and stop global warming?
Scientists have identified various ways to capture CO₂ from the air. Concrete measures to combat climate change can be derived from these approaches. “The simplest is reforestation. Trees grow and sequester CO₂ through photosynthesis. At some point—let’s say after 100 years, depending on the type of trees we’re talking about—they stop growing. But: I have sequestered CO₂ in the tree, in the forest (…),” says Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin.
Planting Trees for the Climate
Planting trees therefore appears to be an effective measure against global warming. A study by ETH Zurich has measured just how effective it is. According to this study, as much as two-thirds of the CO₂ emissions caused by humans to date could be offset by planting new trees. However, there are a number of factors to consider when planting trees to ensure that the practice is truly sustainable. For example, it’s important to carefully weigh whether planting an area makes more sense than leaving it to nature. In some cases, it’s more sustainable to interfere with nature as little as possible.
It is also important to choose the right tree species. As the climate warms, native trees in our region may soon no longer be able to grow. They suffer from the heat and lack of water. This makes them more susceptible to diseases such as bark beetle infestations, and they must be removed. Therefore, we must plant trees that will be able to survive in the future as the region’s climate changes.
It's all about the right mix
Another risk of reforestation is the creation of monocultures, which, in the long run, do more harm than good to our landscape. We should always strive for a healthy mix of different tree species so that a new ecosystem can develop.
We should also be aware that a natural, existing forest is always more valuable than reforestation. There are negative examples where reforestation was subsidized in such a way that, in the end, existing forests were cut down in order to benefit from the reforestation subsidies. This is something that must be avoided at all costs, because protecting existing tree populations is even more important than planting new trees.
A Bond for Life
It is very important to protect existing forests and maximize the lifespan of each tree, because a tree stores CO₂ only as long as it lives. When a tree decays or burns, the stored CO₂ is released back into the environment.
So we need measures that prevent a tree from releasing CO₂ back into the atmosphere. One way to do this is by using the wood from a felled tree to make solid wood furniture or as a building material for houses. This gives a tree a second life after it has been cut down and prevents CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere.
That is why solid wood furniture has an optimal environmental footprint. It acts as a CO₂ sink and is very good for our environment. Brands like Kipli manufacture solid wood furniture from locally sourced woods. This guarantees that no rainforest was cut down to make a single piece of furniture. Furthermore, it is important to ensure that solid wood furniture is made from wood sourced from sustainably managed forests. The PEFC certification, for example, attests to this.
Kipli not only manufactures furniture with a positive environmental footprint, but also plants trees in partnership with a trusted organization. This further minimizes the company’s carbon footprint and offsets emissions.
Many companies now partner with organizations to plant trees. However, it is very important to ask whether the organization planting the trees is trustworthy. Careful consideration must be given to which trees are planted, in what quantities, and where. In addition, organizations need a strategy to protect the new forest from illegal logging, pests, or fire. Only then can tree planting yield sustainable results.
Furthermore, we should be aware that planting trees is only one measure to offset damage that has already occurred. At the same time, we must do everything in our power to reduce future CO₂ emissions to a minimum. The key factors here are green mobility, green energy, and a vegan diet.
In combination with these preventive measures, we can plant trees to limit the damage that has already been done. After all, planting trees to help the climate makes a lot of sense if we keep the following points in mind:
- Choose the right location for reforestation so that as little CO₂ as possible is released from the soil during the process and we interfere as little as possible with existing ecosystems.
- Choose the right tree species for the right locations so that the trees can continue to grow in these regions over the long term.
- Plant mixed forests and avoid monocultures to create new habitats for plants and animals.
- Develop strategies for the long-term protection of forests and ensure that forests serve the local population.
- Protecting existing forests is even more important than planting new ones!