Clickbait: Bill Gates says planting trees is “complete nonsense”

[read time: 1 min 22 sec]

Like everything in today's social media-driven world, the headline sometimes doesn't match the message. For example, as one of the most newsworthy participants at last week's Climate Week NYC sessions, Bill Gates is quoted as saying it was "complete nonsense" to think that mass tree planting could solve climate change. "Are we the science people, or are we the idiots?"

To put his comments in context, though, Mr. Gates was asked what he does to offset his own carbon footprint. In response, he argued that tree planting was one of the "less proven approaches" to carbon offsetting, and that said, the idea that climate change could be solved by planting enough trees was off-base.

He is not wrong. Planting trees will only partially solve the challenges of climate change.?

As the Insider publication has reported,?"To capture just 10% of the carbon dioxide we emit annually, we'd have to cover the entire contiguous US with trees".?That said, our understanding of the complex role forests play relative to carbon capture is deepening. The most comprehensive study on this issue to date is a?2019 study published in the journal Science, which lays out the mounting evidence that carbon capture through reforestation has a significant return on investment. China, the US, Canada, Europe and Russia have undertaken large-scale reforestation efforts and achieved considerable carbon sequestration.

Over and above carbon capture, trees also play an undisputed role in helping the earth's people mitigate and adapt to climate change.?

As we know, planting more trees provides shade and lowers temperature, particularly in urban areas. Planting more trees is a crucial strategy in managing soil erosion and flooding. Trees help filter air pollution and manage stormwater. Being in an environment with trees has a demonstratable positive impact on mental health. Planting trees plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity and boosting agriculture.

Our efforts to reforest more of the earth's surface area is neither THE silver bullet solution nor without significant cost benefit.?

Looking at it as an either/or proposition wastes time that we do not have.

Gary Zed , Founder & CEO, Canada's Forest Trust Corporation