DRAFT | Work in progress

Re-foresting: Exponential Growth Possibilities

Serious Re-foresting

While there are many re-foresting initiatives like those below, carbon released from de-foresting continues to exceed what re-foresting can compensate for. On top of that is the need to get far more carbon stored in trees.  [[[add reference]]]

To meet the deadlines set by nature on climate change, a solution of the highest global impact is needed urgently. Yet, during the 2021 COP26 Glasgow climate conference, the world’s governments haven’t been able to agree on such a solution. What is left is to create a solution without depending on governments.  

A Solution Design Requirement 

The solution must do both, flattening the curve of de-foresting and creating exponential growth of re-foresting.   

2 Million trees planted. Animals returned. Temperature dropped

The Green Belt Movement

The initiative of Wangari Maathai led to the Green Belt Movement and the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. 

Over 51 million trees have been planted, over 30,000 women have been trained in forestry, food processing, bee-keeping, and other trades that help them earn income while preserving their lands and resources. 

It inspired the United Nations to launch a campaign planting 11 billion trees worldwide. More than 900,000 Kenyan women benefited from it by selling seedlings. [[[is 900,000 correct??? sound relatively high 

Solution needs:

  • Creating sufficient income for people in forest areas
  • Adequate funding for the people to get started
  • Ongoing funding for jobs without revenue streams

 

 

Imagine

  • Truly independent not-for-profit organizations providing the funding and/or employment 
  • The funding from donations of billionaires and carbon compensations for air travel and the like 

Imagine

  • People in forest areas would earn a living from planting trees and related trades that may touch their heart
  • The wisdom of native people would be used to find cures for diseases, and the natives would receive a fair share from the related products     
  • People in forest areas would be helped by entrepreneurs and scientists to find, develop and sell new forest-based products
  • There would be further employment, such as  
    • Education on the impr 
    • Protecting the forests 
    • Ecological and sustainable forest-based tourism 

And not to forget values having little attention 

  • Oxygen generation for the world
  • Air filtering for the world
  • Attracting rain and enabling local farming  
  • The rich biodiversity of which we don’t understand yet how important it is for humankind 

Imagine the impact if everybody would ask the following questions

  • Does my purchase of wood, soja beans, or meat worsen deforestation or help re-foresting?
  • Is there compensation in the price for climate-unfriendly products that goes into this type of re-foresting?