We also recharge all the inland aquifers, reversing the trend towards desertification that we’re seeing in many places. Now suddenly we have the ability to take seawater and turn it into freshwater, and we can do it using cheap solar power, so it doesn’t result in fossil emissions. This releases us from an economic straitjacket that we’ve been in for all of history. There’s definitely land that’s “easier” for certain reasons (e.g. rich soil, good rainfall). On the other hand, it can be a lot of fun to come up with creative solutions for more challenging land.
“The trouble is that not many people are aware of this. You cannot offset emissions from the use of fossil fuels. There are too many insecurities in that.” Nori’s Gamrill agreed that offsetting via tree-planting looks like an easy option but in reality is fraught with uncertainty. “Have you ever space plane startup promises anywhere earth bought an airfare or something like that and you see a little checkbox, and you check that box and they say we’re going to take care of the carbon emissions from this and we’ll plant a tree or something?” he asked. Forests aren’t the only type of ecosystem that needs to be recreated, he added.
Once the carbon contribution of your tree declines, it’s cut for timber – one of the UN’s sustainable development goals. Sent every Tuesday and containing a selection of the most important news highlights. The sky photograph used in the carbon revolution graphic is by Taylor van Riper via Unsplash. “We’re gonna need a lot of carbon sinks to undo what we’ve done for the last 250 years.” Planting forests can cause ecological damage if not done carefully, according to Jon Khoo, sustainability leader at carpet brand Interface.
Your experience and capabilities multiply, while theirs diminishes. And another problem is that the rate of change is going to go up. It’s not just that things will change to a new normal and then settle. If we knew, for example, that New York City was going to flood and become like Venice, we could theoretically handle that. But the problem is the constant changing and unpredictability, which makes it hard to prepare for and react to events. You could have major floods one year, then not enough water to feed people the next.
On the technology side, we plan to continue perfecting our algorithms so we can recognize and measure every unique tree. Our data gathering and analysis will ensure better tree performance in future plantings. This year’s plan also includes a new advanced drone, which will allow us to monitor on an even larger scale. In addition, we are launching our scientific advisory board in 2020. In 2019, we conducted simultaneous large-scale plantings in Spain and the United States, while using smart mapping technology, drones and satellites to monitor and collect data. We also started using the Risutec, our first automated planting device.
In other words, trees might be the saviours of the planet, but they have terrible marketing and not enough angel investors. Mr Wong’s theory is that the degraded land could be irrigated for 20 years, “until the vegetation changes the climate and induces its own rainfall”. It’s calling for this figure to be halved by 2025 and for an end to net deforestation globally by 2030. The UN is calling for an end to net deforestation globally by 2030.
Celebrating 100 years of planting, protecting and promoting trees. Since 2020, we’ve been planting fruit trees in Western Uganda with our partner, Karambi Group of People with Disabilities through the ‘Karambi Food Forestry Project’. In partnership with local communities to transform landscapes and lives. The Allansby remnant is an ancient patch of the original Big Scrub Rainforest (only 1% remains).
I worry that I focus too much on what’s wrong & not nearly enough on what can go right. I am reminded that my wife & I invested in a solar heating company about seven years ago. We merely provided some capital and are not involved in the operation. For at least a few years it has struggled, but in the last year it has really started to hit its’ stride.