The Promise of a Trillion Trees

Is it the million-dollar answer to curb climate change?

My university’s induction program was a terrific time: group activities, ice-breaking sessions, and lots of good food. For an entire week! But as this week closed, the entire incoming batch attempted the last task. Planting a sapling on the perimeter of the cricket grounds. The enthusiasm to keep each plant alive was high. Unbreakable. However, (as you might have guessed) at the end of the four years - not one survived. In fact, the consequent batches had attempted the same task during their induction week. Albeit with little success.

Nurturing the life of a sapling is much more important than just planting it. Should one fail to commit to this process, the result is absolutely certain. As cities expand, forests are being squeezed out. Incidents of wild animals roaming the outskirts of villages, preying on pets, poultry - and even humans - have been all but too frequent in India - from Mumbai, Kashmir, and even in - Delhi, which houses 17 city forests in its expanse.¹ The issue of frequent industrial deforestation has only added fuel to the fire. A recent report pointed out, “With a difference of 284,400 hectares in forestry loss between 1990 and 2020, India has seen the biggest increase in deforestation” followed by Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Paraguay, and Papua New Guinea.²  

Coincidentally, during this period, several organizations from corporate and state organizations pledged to plant trees and increase forest cover. For instance, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) started the ‘Plant for the Planet Campaign’ aiming at a billion trees all around the world. 

In India, public and private agencies have been making a conscious effort to protect & increase forest cover. For instance, the government of Rajasthan and USAID (US Agency for International Development) launched the TOFI (Trees Outside Forests in India) initiative in February 2023. The program “will bring together farmers, companies, and other private institutions to rapidly expand tree coverage outside of traditional forests in the state.”³

In fact, “With the goal of rapidly expanding tree coverage outside of traditional forests by 2.8 million hectares, the program will contribute to India’s Nationally Determined Contribution target of creating an additional “carbon sink” of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030.”⁴

Data from MynzoCarbon points out that 85% of companies want to move to net zero” and close to 11% “have managed to reduce their emissions in the last five years”.⁵ In fact, this company is creating a model that corporates can utilize to encourage “collective action” among their employees. This model creates a ‘climate identity’ for the individual and the employee - enabling them to track net emissions in real-time. In fact, the company partners with agencies to encourage an individual to “Grow your own forest” and track the progress lifetime.⁶

Photo by Filip Zrnzević on Unsplash

However, the effort towards sustainable practices doesn’t stop at planting trees and nurturing them. Extreme temperatures have induced dangerous new trends. For instance, an April 2022 study “Managing Forest Fires in a Changing Climate” by CEEW (Council of Energy, Environment and Water) points out that “more than 62% of Indian states are prone to high-intensity forest fires”.⁷

“Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and the northeastern states are most prone to forest fires, the study found. Mizoram has the highest incidence of forest fires over the last two decades, and 95% of its districts are forest fire hotspots.”

While this is a deeply worrying trend - a group of women in the heart of this forest fire-prone zone has begun to turn the tables around. A group of women in Chhattisgarh has taken the initiative and developed specific skillsets to curb forest fires - going a step further. 

In April 2023, Business Standard reported that this group in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh is “working alongside forest workers in battling wildfires”.⁸ 

“Signifying the maxim ‘forest is life’, we understand that the forests are a precious heritage for us because the herbs, fruits, and flowers (from the forests) provide us extra income,” Rashmila Bai said.”

“The enthusiasm and awareness among women motivated the department to train them how to extinguish forest fires”, Nishant said. The forest department, as a symbol of greenery has provided them green sarees as a uniform, and trained them to use fire blower machines.”

And yet - despite all of these factors - scientists suggest that growing more trees is not the answer to curb climate change. In a 2020 New York Times editorial, three scientists establish a case to shift focus regarding regional/ global tree cover. They write:⁹ 

“The only way to stop this planet from overheating is through political, economic, technological, and social solutions that end the use of fossil fuels.

There is no way that planting trees, even across a global area the size of the United States, can absorb the enormous amounts of fossil carbon emitted from industrial societies. Trees do take up carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. But this uptake merely replaces carbon lost when forests were cleared in the first place, usually long ago. Regrowing forests where they once flourished can undo some damage done in the past, but even a trillion trees can’t store enough carbon to head off dramatic climate changes this century.”

You see, perhaps then, it is not about the trillion trees or tracking carbon footprint anymore that can drive the planet towards the net zero emissions target. What can sincerely help us save the planet, however, is our lifestyles. Or at least an active, consistent attempt at it. Something that no agency, government, NGO, or multi-lateral agency can truly provide an incentive structure to.  

1. India Today. “Delhi: Soon, 17 City Forests Will Be Transformed to ‘World-Class Level.’” Accessed May 12, 2023. https://www.indiatoday.in/cities/delhi/story/delhi-soon-17-world-class-city-forests-to-be-developed-on-3000-acres-of-land-1928868-2022-03-24.

2. Utility Bidder. “Deforestation Report,” March 6, 2023. https://www.utilitybidder.co.uk/compare-business-energy/deforestation-report/.

3. U.S. Agency for International Development. “Government of Rajasthan and USAID Launch New Initiative to Increase Tree Coverage in Rajasthan | India | Press Release,” July 2, 2023. https://www.usaid.gov/india/press-releases/feb-07-2023-government-rajasthan-and-usaid-launch-new-initiative-increase-tree-coverage-rajasthan.

4. U.S. Agency for International Development. “Government of Rajasthan and USAID Launch New Initiative to Increase Tree Coverage in Rajasthan | India | Press Release,” July 2, 2023. https://www.usaid.gov/india/press-releases/feb-07-2023-government-rajasthan-and-usaid-launch-new-initiative-increase-tree-coverage-rajasthan.

5. “Mynzo Carbon – Mynzo Carbon – MYNetZerO – Enabling Corporates to Achieve Net Zero through Collective Action.” Accessed May 20, 2023. https://www.mynzocarbon.com/.

6. “Mynzo Carbon – Mynzo Carbon – MYNetZerO – Enabling Corporates to Achieve Net Zero through Collective Action.” Accessed May 20, 2023. https://www.mynzocarbon.com/.

7.  The Indian Express. “Why Did Goa See a Spate of Forest Fires in March?,” May 7, 2023. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-climate/goa-forest-fires-in-march-2023-explained-8596719/.

8. Standard, Business. “Women in Green Put out Forest Fires in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur District,” April 24, 2023. https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/women-in-green-put-out-forest-fires-in-chhattisgarh-s-bilaspur-district-123042400810_1.html.

9. Ellis, Erle C., Mark Maslin, and Simon Lewis. “Opinion | Planting Trees Won’t Save the World.” The New York Times, February 12, 2020, sec. Opinion. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/opinion/trump-climate-change-trees.html.