This week’s Current Climate, which every Saturday brings you a balanced view of sustainability news.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales plant a tree at the Balmoral Cricket Pavilion, to mark the start of the official planting season for the Queen's Green Canopy , on October 1, 2021 near Crathie, Scotland. WESTHAMPTON, NJ - JULY 15: Employees of SunEdison install photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of a Kohl's Department Store on July 15, 2008 in Westhampton, New Jersey.
to encourage a move away from initiatives that “plant a tree at any price” and instead promote a long-term solution that puts the right tree in the right place and combines the considerations of biodiversity, local communities, and carbon capture.First, is not choosing the right tree species—those that are not right for the climate or the soil. But the biggest problem actually is the lack of proper care. People think if you stick a tree in the ground, it will look after itself.
Some people seem to think we can solve climate change simply by planting trees rather than reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases or reliance on fossil fuels. What’s your view on that? We’ve talked about planting trees, but what considerations should go into whether it’s worth cutting trees to make space for manufacturing plants or other development projects?