{"id":2018,"date":"2022-04-08T14:06:39","date_gmt":"2022-04-08T14:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2018"},"modified":"2022-06-15T09:53:13","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T09:53:13","slug":"should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I plant trees to offset my carbon footprint?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people worldwide see climate change as the top threat facing our planet.<span id='easy-footnote-1-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-1-2018' title='Poushter, J. and Huang, C. (2019). Climate Change Still Seen as the Top Global Threat, but Cyberattacks a Rising Concern. [online] Pew Research Center\u2019s Global Attitudes Project. Available at: https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/global\/2019\/02\/10\/climate-change-still-seen-as-the-top-global-threat-but-cyberattacks-a-rising-concern\/.'><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u200c These concerns have prompted governments and citizens alike to ask whether planting trees is an effective way to offset their carbon footprint.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly USD $300 million worth of <a href=\"https:\/\/klima.com\/blog\/what-are-green-energy-solutions-and-why-are-they-so-important\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">carbon offsets<\/a> were spent or traded in 2018, equivalent to 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Some estimate the global carbon offset market is worth between USD $40 billion and USD $120 billion.<span id='easy-footnote-2-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-2-2018' title='Irfan, U. (2020). Can you really negate your carbon emissions? Carbon offsets, explained. Vox. [online] 28 Feb. Available at: https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/2\/27\/20994118\/carbon-offset-climate-change-net-zero-neutral-emissions.'><sup>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Can planting trees reduce global warming?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/afforestation-and-deforestation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planting trees<\/a> can undoubtedly help to reduce global warming, but there are important caveats to consider:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We would have to plant a lot of trees<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They would have to be planted in carefully designated regions for maximum impact<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The impact may not be felt for years to come<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, while trees are good for the environment and important to preserve, they are not the silver bullet to combatting global warming. If the world planted trees in an area the size of the United States, it would erase decades of carbon emissions, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/environment\/article\/how-to-erase-100-years-carbon-emissions-plant-trees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study published<\/a> in 2019 in Science.<span id='easy-footnote-3-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-3-2018' title='Environment. (2019). How to erase 100 years of carbon emissions? Plant trees. [online] Available at: https:\/\/www.nationalgeographic.com\/environment\/article\/how-to-erase-100-years-carbon-emissions-plant-trees.'><sup>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scientists believe that there is strong potential for trees to reduce global warming. But they also acknowledge that they are not a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.<span id='easy-footnote-4-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-4-2018' title='Science, A.A. for the A. of (2020). Erratum for the Report: \u201cThe global tree restoration potential\u201d by J.-F. Bastin, Y. Finegold, C. Garcia, D. Mollicone, M. Rezende, D. Routh, C. M. Zohner, T. W. Crowther and for the Technical Response \u201cResponse to Comments on \u2018The global tree restoration potential\u2019\u201d by J.-F. Bastin, Y. Finegold, C. Garcia, N. Gellie, A. Lowe, D. Mollicone, M. Rezende, D. Routh, M. Sacande, B. Sparrow, C. M. Zohner, T. W. Crowther. Science, [online] 368(6494). Available at: https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/368\/6494\/eabc8905.'><sup>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>If everyone planted a tree, would it offset our carbon footprint?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would help the environment enormously if everyone <a href=\"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/deforestation-carbon-cycle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">planted a tree.<\/a> But if not done carefully, it can actually harm the environment rather than helping it<span id='easy-footnote-5-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-5-2018' title='Saner, E. (2019). Grow your own forest: how to plant trees to help save the planet. [online] the Guardian. Available at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2019\/sep\/04\/grow-your-own-forest-how-to-plant-trees-to-help-save-the-planet.'><sup>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Trees offer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.royalparks.org.uk\/parks\/the-regents-park\/things-to-see-and-do\/gardens-and-landscapes\/tree-map\/why-trees-are-important\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">huge benefits<\/a> by removing carbon, protecting the soil, preventing flooding and increasing biodiversity.<span id='easy-footnote-6-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-6-2018' title='The Royal Parks. (2019). Why are trees so important? [online] Available at: https:\/\/www.royalparks.org.uk\/parks\/the-regents-park\/things-to-see-and-do\/gardens-and-landscapes\/tree-map\/why-trees-are-important.'><sup>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200c<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But recent reports have also found that poorly planned tree planting \u2013 and on a large scale \u2013 can end up consuming large amounts of water while doing little for ecological diversity or carbon removal.<span id='easy-footnote-7-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-7-2018' title='McGrath, M. (2020). Planting new forests \u201ccan do more harm than good.\u201d BBC News. [online] 22 Jun. Available at: https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/science-environment-53138178.'><sup>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How many trees does it take to offset one kg of CO2?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount of carbon dioxide that a tree can absorb depends on its species, age and location. For example, a large dense tree in a tropical forest will absorb and offset far <a href=\"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/afforestation-and-deforestation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more carbon<\/a> than a young tree in a temperate climate.<span id='easy-footnote-8-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-8-2018' title='PennisiMay. 21, E., 2020 and Pm, 2:00 (2020). Tropical forests soak up huge amounts of greenhouse gas. Climate change could end that. [online] Science | AAAS. Available at: https:\/\/www.sciencemag.org\/news\/2020\/05\/tropical-forests-soak-huge-amounts-greenhouse-gas-climate-change-could-end.'><sup>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A typical mature tree can absorb up to 22 kilograms of CO2 per year, some studies have shown.<span id='easy-footnote-9-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-9-2018' title='European Environment Agency. (2012). Trees help tackle climate change. [online] Available at: https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/articles\/forests-health-and-climate-change\/key-facts\/trees-help-tackle-climate-change.'><sup>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span>\u200c <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other scientists estimate that a tree can absorb up to one tonne of carbon over its lifetime.<span id='easy-footnote-10-2018' class='easy-footnote-margin-adjust'><\/span><span class='easy-footnote'><a href='https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/#easy-footnote-bottom-10-2018' title='Institute, G. (2015). How much CO2 can trees take up? [online] Climate &amp;amp; Environment at Imperial. Available at: https:\/\/granthaminstitute.com\/2015\/09\/02\/how-much-co2-can-trees-take-up\/.'><sup>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>We should all certainly be planting trees to offset our carbon footprint. But it won&#8217;t stop climate change alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many people worldwide see climate change as the top threat facing our planet.\u200c These concerns have prompted governments and citizens alike to ask whether planting trees is an effective way to offset their carbon footprint. Nearly USD $300 million worth of carbon offsets were spent or traded in 2018, equivalent to 100 million tonnes of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":2019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,212],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should I plant trees to offset my carbon footprint? - Climate Transform<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With climate change a growing concern, more people are wondering whether planting trees is an effective way to offset their carbon footprint.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/should-i-plant-trees-to-offset-my-carbon-footprint\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should I plant trees to offset my carbon footprint? 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