Loading…
22
Why does everyone think planting a tree is the only way to help?
I keep seeing posts where people say they 'did their part' by planting one tree in their yard. But I read a report from the UN last year that said protecting existing forests, especially old growth ones, is actually way more important for carbon storage. Planting new trees is good, but it takes decades for them to catch up. Shouldn't we be talking more about stopping deforestation first? What's the better focus for donations and policy?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
hannah2403mo ago
Yeah the "plant a tree" thing is like people think they're done after picking up one piece of trash off the sidewalk. People love doing something simple that feels good but doesn't actually fix the bigger mess. You see the same pattern with recycling - people toss a plastic bottle in the blue bin and feel like environmental heroes while ignoring that most of that stuff still ends up in a landfill anyway. Protecting old forests is way harder, it means telling a developer "no" or fighting for actual policy changes that might cost people money or convenience. But nobody wants to post a selfie of themselves writing a letter to their city council about stopping a logging permit.
6