New pine trees grow from the forest floor along the North Fork of the Flathead River on the western boundary of Glacier National Park on Sept. 16, 2019 near West Glacier, Montana. Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
By Alex Kirby
New forests are an apparently promising way to tackle global heating: the trees absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas from human activities. But there's a snag, because permanently lower river flows can be an unintended consequence.
<p>A study by scientists at the University of Cambridge, UK, has found that river flow is reduced in areas where forests have been planted − and, significantly, it does not recover over time. Rivers in some regions can disappear completely within 10 years.</p><p>This, the researchers say, highlights the need to consider the impact on regional <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/water">water</a> availability, as well as the wider <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate</a> benefit of tree-planting plans.</p><p>"Reforestation is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/29/planting-trees-climate-change" target="_blank">an important part of tackling climate change</a>, but we need to carefully consider the best places for it. In some places, changes to water availability will completely change the local cost-benefits of tree-planting programmes", said <a href="https://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk/directory/laura-bentley" target="_blank">Laura Bentley, a plant scientist in the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute</a>, and first author of the report.</p>
<h3>Age Effect Missed</h3><p>Planting large areas of trees has been suggested as <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/forests-key-mitigating-climate-change/" target="_blank">one of the best ways of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels</a>, because trees absorb and store the gas as they grow, although <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/forest-carbon-storage-puzzles-scientists/" target="_blank">uncertainties about the strategy persist</a>. <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/science/">Science</a> has known for a long time that planting trees reduces the amount of water flowing into nearby rivers, but no-one had realized how this effect changes as forests age.</p><p>The Cambridge study looked at 43 sites across the world where forests have been established, and used river flow as a measure of water availability in the region. It found that within five years of planting trees, river flow had reduced by an average of 25%.</p><p>But 25 years after the trees were planted, rivers had gone down by an average of 40%, or in a few cases had dried up altogether. The biggest percentage reductions in water availability were in parts of Australia and South Africa.</p><p>"River flow does not recover after planting trees, even after many years, once disturbances in the catchment and the effects of climate are accounted for," said <a href="https://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk/directory/coomes" target="_blank">professor David Coomes, director of the Conservation Research Institute</a>, who led the study.</p>
<p>Published in the journal <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14954" target="_blank">Global Change Biology</a>, the research showed that the type of land where trees are planted determines the impact they have on local water availability.</p><p>Trees planted on natural grassland where the soil is healthy decrease river flow significantly. But on land previously degraded by agriculture, establishing a forest helps to repair the soil so that it can hold more water, and therefore decreases nearby river flow by a smaller amount.</p><p>Strangely, the effect of trees on river flow is smaller in drier years than in wetter ones. When trees are drought-stressed they close the pores on their leaves to conserve water, and as a result take up less water from the soil. In wet weather, though, they use more water from the soil, and also catch the rainwater in their leaves.</p><p>"Climate change will affect water availability around the world," said Bentley. "By studying how forestation affects water availability, we can work to minimize any local consequences for people and the environment."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://climatenewsnetwork.net/new-forests-mean-permanently-lower-river-flows/" style="" target="_blank">Climate News Network</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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7 Amazon Rainforest Countries Sign Pact to Come Together in Response to Wildfires
09 September 2019
Climate
Handout picture released by the Colombian presidency showing Colombian President Ivan Duque (2-L) speaking next to Bolivian President Evo Morales (L) and in front of Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo (2-R) and Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno (R), during a meeting with Indigenous leaders before the Presidential Summit for the Amazon at the National University in Leticia, department of Amazonas, Colombia, on Sept. 6. NICOLAS GALEANO / AFP / Getty Images
Seven Amazon countries signed a pact Friday to protect the world's largest tropical rainforest in response to the record-breaking number of wildfires that have blazed through the Amazon rainforest this summer, Reuters reported.
<p>Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Suriname agreed to create a network to coordinate their responses to disasters like this summer's fires. They also promised to increase the satellite monitoring of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation" target="_self">deforestation</a>, share information on threats to the forest like illegal <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/mining" rel="noopener noreferrer">mining</a>, develop reforestation and education initiatives and increase the participation of I<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/indigenous" target="_self">ndigenous</a> communities. </p><p>"This meeting will live on as a coordination mechanism for the presidents that share this treasure―the Amazon," Colombian President Ivan Duque said, as Reuters reported.</p>
<p><br/></p>
<div id="b313c" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ZEAI3F1576661494"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1170072609465221126" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Link to the official text of the Leticia Pact for the Amazon signed by 7 countries of the #Amazon Basin… https://t.co/uYrVPwTTrS</div> — Justin Adams (@Justin Adams)<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinCMAdams/statuses/1170072609465221126">1567802023.0</a></blockquote></div><p>Fires in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/brazil" target="_self">Brazil</a>, which contains 60 percent of the Amazon within its borders, are up 83 percent this year compared to last, according to Reuters. Fires are also raging in Bolivia on its border with Brazil and Paraguay, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-49609702" target="_blank">BBC News reported</a>.</p><p>Right-wing Brazilian President <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/jair-bolsonaro" target="_self">Jair Bolsonaro</a>, whose pro-industry policies and rhetoric have been blamed for the increase in fires, did not attend the conference in person because he was preparing for surgery.</p><p>Instead, he attended via video. Bolsonaro, who <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/bolsonaro-g7-funding-2640081683.html" target="_self">rejected $22 million</a> in aid from the G7 countries in August, urged the South American countries to manage the region without international interference.</p><p>"We must take a strong position of defense of sovereignty so that each country can develop the best policy for the Amazon region, and not leave it in the hands of other countries," Bolsonaro said, as <a href="https://www.afp.com/en/news/15/amazon-countries-meet-bolster-rainforest-protection-doc-1k298t2" target="_blank">AFP reported</a>.</p><p>The meeting was held in Leticia in the Colombian Amazon. In addition to Duque, it was attended by Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Bolivian President Evo Morales, Suriname Vice President Michael Adhin, Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo and Guyana Natural Resource Minister Raphael Trotman, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/amazon-countries-sign-pact-protect-amazon-190906213133474.html" target="_blank">Al Jazeera reported</a>.</p><p>Indigenous leaders from Amazon communities impacted by fires and deforestation also attended the meeting, but some expressed doubts over how effective the pact would be. <a href="https://www.onic.org.co/" target="_blank">National Indigenous Organization of Colombia</a> coordinator Nelly Kuiru told Al Jazeera that the pact was "very vague."</p><p>"I think it is important the presidents took the time to come to one of the Amazon's regions, in Colombia, and sign the pact. But I have doubts about it," she said. "I doubt the pact will be fulfilled, because to make a pact there first of all has to be an analysis of what is happening."</p><p>Moira Birss of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/conservation" target="_self">conservation</a> and Indigenous rights group <a href="https://amazonwatch.org/" target="_blank">Amazon Watch</a> agreed. She said that the pact did not list the specific causes of deforestation and did not make a clear enough connection between deforestation and the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change" target="_self">climate crisis</a>.</p>
<div id="557d5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="IMLZDJ1576661494"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1170113164274356224" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">STATEMENT: Today the leaders of Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname, & Guyana met about the #AmazonFires a… https://t.co/bXKVde77qm</div> — AMAZON WATCH (@AMAZON WATCH)<a href="https://twitter.com/AmazonWatch/statuses/1170113164274356224">1567811692.0</a></blockquote></div><p>"This is problematic both because ample scientific research has demonstrated the serious climate impacts of tropical forest deforestation, and because the direct causes of Amazon deforestation and degradation are widely known to be industrial activities like agribusiness and mining," she wrote <a href="https://amazonwatch.org/news/2019/0906-amazon-watch-statement-on-the-amazon-pact-issued-today-by-south-american-leaders" target="_blank">in a statement</a>.</p><p>Birss also pointed out that the language of the text implied that signatories saw the Amazon more as an economic asset than a vital ecosystem:</p><blockquote>"Furthermore, the pact's frequent mention of the 'value' of the trees and biodiversity of the Amazon, and of the 'development' of its natural resources, seem to indicate that the signatories view the rainforest as a commodity to be exploited rather than a vital ecosystem and the ancestral home to indigenous peoples that must be protected.<br><br>"This reading of the pact is supported by recent events: this week the Bolsonaro administration has pushed for even more rollbacks to environmental protections in the country's Forest Code, and Ecuador's new Environment Minister declared on Wednesday that, "where there are natural resources, there will be extraction.'<br><br>"Responses to the Amazon fires will never be effective in protecting the rainforest unless they confront the key driver of Amazon deforestation: profit-seeking at the expense of the rights of forest peoples and environmental protection."</blockquote><p>The Amazon is in fact home to around one million people who belong to 500 Indigenous groups, according to Reuters.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/478881199369942/" target="_blank">EcoWatch Live interview</a> last week, founder and president of the Amazon Aid Foundation Sarah duPont stated that "There are more trees in the Amazon than there are stars in the Milky Way." </p>
EcoWatch Live Interview with the Amazon Aid Foundation
<div class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2be5c5996ab4001c9b747dea1f9c4542"><div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/478881199369942/" data-allowfullscreen="true"></div></div>From Your Site Articles
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Like many other plant-based foods and products, CBD oil is one dietary supplement where "organic" labels are very important to consumers. However, there are little to no regulations within the hemp industry when it comes to deeming a product as organic, which makes it increasingly difficult for shoppers to find the best CBD oil products available on the market.
<p>Here you can learn about the importance of organic hemp oil, why it's better for the environment, and which CBD companies actually make trustworthy products with sustainable farming processes. origins which weigh heavily on many consumers who want to buy a product that's produced in the best way possible for not only themselves to ingest, but for the environment as well through sustainable farming methods. </p><h2>What Is CBD Oil?</h2><p>First things first, CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it's a cannabinoid found within cannabis sativa plants. This plant compound is believed to have many potential benefits, and it is primarily derived from hemp plants via a CO2 extraction process. </p><p>Since CBD is extracted from industrial hemp, which contains only trace amounts of THC (the psychoactive component in cannabis plants), this means that CBD won't make you feel high like marijuana, which has much higher levels of THC that causes psychoactive effects. Instead, the effects of CBD are much more subtle and promote a general sense of calm and relaxation in most users.</p><h2>What Makes a CBD Oil Organic?</h2><p>In terms of organic labels, perhaps the most important (and prominent) certification comes from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This government organization has been labeling foods as "organic" for many years, but what exactly does this certification entail? Essentially, a label indicating that a product is "USDA Organic" or "Certified Organic" means that at least 95% of the ingredients are obtained from organic sources.</p><p>For a crop to be considered organic by the USDA, it must be grown without the use of industrial solvents, irradiation, genetic engineering (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. Instead, farmers rely on natural substances and <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">mechanical, physical, or biologically based farming</a> techniques to cultivate healthy and organic crops.</p><p>Before the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, no hemp-derived products could be dubbed as "certified organic" since the hemp plant and its extracts were still categorized as a Schedule I Controlled Substance. However, it's still difficult for CBD companies to obtain a USDA certified organic label for their products due to the legal grey area that still surrounds CBD extracts. </p><p>Because of these challenges, and due to the fact that industrial hemp has only recently become an agricultural crop, very few CBD oils are USDA certified organic. Rather, many CBD products contain hemp extracts from plants that were grown in organic conditions but may not be federally certified.</p><h2>What are the Best Organic CBD Oil Brands?</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><em><br></em>
<h2>Why Organic Hemp Oil Matters</h2><p>Hemp is a unique plant, not only for its rich cannabinoid content, but also for its ability to absorb a wide variety of components in soil. But this trait poses great risks when it comes to the creation of CBD products derived from hemp.</p><p>Because hemp has a high capacity for compound uptake, this means that the plants can retain <a href="https://www.remedyreview.com/industry/lab-test-results/" target="_blank">harmful chemicals like pesticides</a>, heavy metals, and other residual solvents. This is especially true when it comes to synthetic chemicals that are more toxic to humans, and difficult to remove once they have been absorbed by the hemp plant.</p><p>Organic farming practices help reduce the risk of hemp crops absorbing harsh chemicals that may later end up in CBD oil after extraction. When you're taking CBD as a wellness supplement to help alleviate your symptoms or improve your overall well-being, the last thing you want is to ingest compounds that might negatively outweigh the benefits of CBD. This is an important reason to look for third party lab test results when shopping for CBD products since these certificates of analysis can show the full cannabinoid and terpene profile of a hemp extract, as well as test results that search for the presence of any residual solvents.</p><p>In addition to creating a better end product, organic farming practices are also better for the environment. Sustainable and organic farming methods may <a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/organic-foods.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reduce pollution, conserve water, reduce soil erosion, increase soil fertility, and use less energy</a>. The use of natural pest deterrents as opposed to chemical pesticides is also better for nearby animal populations and ecosystems.</p><h3>Organic vs. Natural</h3><p>While there are only a select few companies offering certified organic ingredients in their products, almost every brand in the CBD market creates "natural" products. The term "all-natural" or "plant-based" does not mean that a product is organic, and since hemp oil is a natural derivative of hemp plants, these products are often referred to as all-natural. However, there are some synthetic CBD oils that should be avoided because they are chemically constructed and may produce unwanted side effects that are not caused by naturally derived CBD extracts.</p><h2>What are the Benefits of Organic CBD Oil?</h2><p>There's a long list of potential CBD oil health benefits, and some of the most common wellness advantages include:</p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank">Chronic pain relief</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/" target="_blank">Anti-anxiety effects</a></li><li>Better sleep</li><li><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inner-source/201901/cbd-oil-mental-health-should-you-take-it-too" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Improvements in mood</a></li><li>Internal balance and regulation</li></ul><p>When dealing with pain, inflammation, sleep issues, and mental health struggles, it can be hard to find sufficient treatment options. The use of certain prescriptions can cause unwanted side effects, yet they are often the only solution for patients with these medical conditions. In search of other therapies, people have started to flock towards CBD oil as an alternative remedy for a variety of conditions. However, it should be noted that CBD products are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and you should seek your doctor's advice before using CBD if you have a serious medical condition.</p><h2>Look at the Labels Before You Buy CBD Oil</h2><p>When you go online to buy CBD oil, you'll quickly realize there is an overwhelming number of brands that are saturating the market. It can be difficult to determine which products are truly as good as they make themselves out to be. Always look for up-to-date third-party lab tests so you know you are getting a great product, and don't hesitate to contact the brand if you have any additional questions. And if you're intent on purchasing 100% organic CBD oil, it's best to look for certified products or brands that are held to strict regulatory standards.</p><p><strong>Melena Gurganus </strong>is the Reviews Editor at EcoWatch. She is passionate health and wellness and her writing aims to help others find products they can trust. Her work has been featured in publications such as Health, Shape, Huffington Post, Cannabis Business Times, and Bustle.<br></p>
Spruce
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjI3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyOTM2NzgzOX0.axY0HjeqRctJsR_KmDLctzDpUBLBN-oNIdqaXDb4caQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="774be" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="8379f35b1ca8a86d0e61b7d4bfc8b46e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="spruce organic cbd oil" data-width="710" data-height="959" /><p>As one of the best brands in the business, Spruce CBD is well-known for its potent CBD oils that feature many additional beneficial phytocannabinoids. This brand works with two family-owned, sustainably focused farms in the USA (one located in Kentucky and one in North Carolina) to create its organic, small product batches. The max potency Spruce CBD oil contains 2400mg of full-spectrum CBD extract, but the brand also offers a lower strength tincture with 750mg of CBD in total.</p>
$89
CBDistillery
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjkzNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTU4OTM4Nn0.ypRdeDSBcE87slYrFfVrRwtJ2qGIK6FD5jBB4pndTMo/img.jpg?width=980" id="b473b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9930b53c9d58cb49774640a61c3e3e75" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="cbdistillery cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>All of the products from CBDistillery are <a href="https://ushempauthority.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">U.S. Hemp Authority Certified</a>, and for good reason. The company only uses non-GMO and pesticide-free industrial hemp that's grown organically on Colorado farms. Its hemp oils are some of the most affordable CBD products on the market, yet they still maintain a high standard of quality. CBDistillery has a wide variety of CBD potencies across its product line (ranging from 500mg to 5000mg per bottle) and offers both full-spectrum and broad-spectrum CBD oils to give customers a completely thc-free option.</p>
$35
FAB CBD
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIyNS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2NDIwOTEyMn0.MlTjz096FJ0ev_-soK7_Z-FeQeJczWoeh9Qi9SSkHsY/img.jpg?width=980" id="04b26" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="76aa4862f44603242e318982acea6646" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="fab cbd oil" data-width="800" data-height="800" /><p>For an organic CBD oil that has it all, FAB CBD offers plenty of variety for any type of consumer. All of its products are made with zero pesticides and extracted from organically grown Colorado industrial hemp. FAB CBD oil comes in five all-natural flavors (mint, vanilla, berry, citrus, and natural) and is also available in four strengths (300, 600, 1200, and 2400mg per bottle).</p>
$39
NuLeaf Naturals
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY4NjIxOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NzExNTgyMX0.D6qMGYllKTsVhEkQ-L_GzpDHVu60a-tJKcio7M1Ssmc/img.jpg?width=980" id="94e4a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="3609a52479675730893a45a82a03c71d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="nuleaf naturals organic cbd oil" data-width="600" data-height="600" /><p>As an industry-leading brand, it comes as no surprise that NuLeaf Naturals sources its CBD extract from organic hemp plants grown on licensed farms in Colorado. The comany's CBD oils only contain two ingredients: USDA certified organic hemp seed oil and full spectrum hemp extract.</p><p>NuLeaf Naturals uses one proprietary CBD oil formula for all of its products, so you will get the same CBD potency in each tincture (60mg per mL), but can purchase different bottle sizes depending on how much you intend to use.</p>
$38.50
Charlotte's Web
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDcwMjk3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MzQ0NjM4N30.SaQ85SK10-MWjN3PwHo2RqpiUBdjhD0IRnHKTqKaU7Q/img.jpg?width=980" id="84700" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="a2174067dcc0c4094be25b3472ce08c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" alt="charlottes web cbd oil" data-width="1244" data-height="1244" /><p>Perhaps one of the most well-known brands in the CBD landscape, Charlotte's Web has been growing sustainable hemp plants for several years. The company is currently in the process of achieving official USDA Organic Certification, but it already practices organic and sustainable cultivation techniques to enhance the overall health of the soil and the hemp plants themselves, which creates some of the highest quality CBD extracts. Charlotte's Web offers CBD oils in a range of different concentration options, and some even come in a few flavor options such as chocolate mint, orange blossom, and lemon twist.</p>
$60
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One Million Trees Pledged to 'Trump Forest' to Offset President's Anti-Climate Agenda
20 February 2018
Climate
Trump Forest—a global reforestation project aiming to offset President Trump's anti-climate policies—has reached 1 million trees after thousands of pledges from around the world.
Trump Forest was launched just under a year ago after POTUS announced he was pulling the U.S. from the Paris agreement.
<p style="">
"Thanks to you guys, you've pledged more than a million trees all over the world to try and offset that ignorance," Adrien Taylor, one of the three founders of the project, said in a video message announcing the milestone. "In doing so, you've not only offset some of the carbon emissions that have come out of the Trump administration, you've also helped reforest communities, and you've helped create a small silver lining in the very dark cloud of ignorance which is in the White House."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="c7779" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="O9H04E1576683849"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="965664450026995712" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">One million trees!
Just 11 months ago, we launched an effort to offset @realDonaldTrump's #climatechange ignorance… https://t.co/hmrLlI5SMr</div> — Trump Forest (@Trump Forest)<a href="https://twitter.com/RealTrumpForest/statuses/965664450026995712">1519067320.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p style="">
The idea behind the effort is simple. "US President Donald Trump doesn't believe in the science of human-caused climate change. He wants to ignore one of the greatest threats to healthy life on Earth," the project website states.
</p><p style="">
"Trump wants to bring back <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/coal">coal</a> despite scientists telling us we cannot afford to burn it, and despite economists telling us there's more money to be made and more jobs available in <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy">renewable energy</a>," the statement continues. "So we're planting a forest to soak up the extra greenhouse gases Trump plans to put into our atmosphere. We're planting a global forest to offset Trump's monumental stupidity."
</p><p style="">
The forest does not have a single, physical location. Rather, anyone who wants to participate in the project can plant trees anywhere around the world in Trump's name. Once that's done, you send the group a receipt so the contribution is added to the global Trump Forest map. You can also directly donate to Trump Forest partner <a href="https://edenprojects.org/" target="_blank">Eden Reforestation Projects</a>, a non-profit that works in developing countries to rebuild natural landscapes destroyed by deforestation.
</p><p style="">
The organizers' goal is to plant 10 billion trees—an area roughly the size of Kentucky—to make up for the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases">carbon dioxide</a> that would be released into the atmosphere should the Trump administration continue to roll back environmental regulations and push for <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>.
</p><p style="">
"One million trees is only the beginning," co-founder Dr. Dan Price, a British climate scientist, said.
</p><p style="">
"Despite new evidence of the chaos of climate change everyday, Trump continues to use his position to exacerbate the problem and prop up the fossil fuel industry. We really look forward to making Earth great again."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed" style="">
</p><div id="d9a0b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="V0WSDH1576683849"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="965666339443523584" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Thousands of people from all over the globe have stood up with us to say that the actions of the White House are no… https://t.co/Iujy5ao0eH</div> — Trump Forest (@Trump Forest)<a href="https://twitter.com/RealTrumpForest/statuses/965666339443523584">1519067771.0</a></blockquote></div>
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The Great Wall of China, Badaling. Hrvoje Sasek / Flickr
Earlier this year, the Chinese government announced plans for a major reforestation project—growing 6.66 million hectares of new forests this year, an area roughly the size of Ireland.
To achieve this goal, China has reassigned more than 60,000 soldiers to plant the trees. According to the Asia Times, a large regiment from the People's Liberation Army, along with some of the nation's armed police force, have been withdrawn from their posts near the northern border to work on the task.
<p style="">
The majority of the troops will be dispatched in the heavily polluted industrial province of Hebei, which has pledged to raise total forest coverage to 35 percent by the end of 2020.
</p><p style="">
China's State Forestry Administration aims to increase the whole country's forest coverage rate to 23 percent from 21.7 percent by the end of the decade. Then from 2020 to 2035, China plans to further boost the percentage of forest coverage to 26 percent.
</p><p style="">
China is the world's
<a href="http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions" target="_blank">largest emitter</a> and remains <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-coal-price-surge-will-not-stop-chinas-drive-reduce-emissions" target="_blank">heavily dependent</a> on coal, but has been cleaning up its act in recent years due to concerns over the impacts of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_blank">air pollution</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a>. The country is <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/china-clean-energy-investment-2524206487.html">investing heavily</a> in <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_blank">renewable energy</a>, energy efficiency and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_blank">electric cars</a>.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f3d21" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RSEF001576683849"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="738123000323661824" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Remarkable Forest Hotel Takes Green Architecture to a Whole New Level https://t.co/iadfRi8zpE @Ecobuild_Now @GreenAllianceUK</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/738123000323661824">1464817211.0</a></blockquote></div>
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A forest surrounds the Great Wall of China. Pexels
China's government announced plans for a major reforestation project. The country aims to grow about 6.66 million hectares of new forests this year, an area roughly the size of Ireland.
The announcement was made last week by Zhang Jianlong, the head of China's State Forestry Administration, in an effort to shed the country's image as a major polluter and become a global environmental leader, the Telegraph reported.
<p>
China is the world's
<a href="http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/CO2-emissions" target="_blank">largest emitter</a> and remains <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/guest-post-coal-price-surge-will-not-stop-chinas-drive-reduce-emissions" target="_blank">heavily dependent</a> on coal, but the country has been cleaning up its act in recent years due to concerns over the impacts of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution" target="_blank">air pollution</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/" target="_blank">climate change</a>.
</p><p>
The administration announced several forestry goals, which include increasing the country's forest coverage rate to 23 percent from 21.7 percent by the end of the decade. Then from 2020 to 2035, China plans to further boost the percentage of forest coverage to 26 percent.
</p><p>
"Companies, organizations and talent that specialize in greening work are all welcome to join in the country's massive greening campaign," Jianlong said. "Cooperation between government and social capital will be put on the priority list."
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The new forest areas will be built in the northeast Hebei province, the Qinghai province in the Tibetan Plateau and in the Hunshandake Desert in Inner Mongolia.
</p><p>
Zhang said that China has spent more than 538 billion yuan (about $83 billion) on planting forests over the past five years, putting the country's total forest area to 208 million hectares.
</p><p>
According to
<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-environment-forest/china-to-create-new-forests-covering-area-size-of-ireland-china-daily-idUSKBN1EU02L" target="_blank">Reuters</a>, the government is also promoting an "ecological red line" program to force provinces and regions to restrict "irrational development" to curb construction near rivers, forests and national parks.
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Power of Positivity
By Mike Gaworecki
Last Thursday, at the UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany (known as COP23), the World Resources Institute (WRI) announced that $2.1 billion in private investment funds have been committed to efforts to restore degraded lands in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The investments will be made through WRI's Initiative 20×20, which has already put 10 million hectares (about 25 million acres) of land under restoration thanks to 19 private investors who are supporting more than 40 restoration projects.
<p style=""><a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/agriculture">Agriculture</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/forests">forestry</a> and other land uses are responsible for <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data" target="_blank">about a quarter of global greenhouse emissions</a>, but in Latin America and the Caribbean, they account for roughly half of all emissions. That's why these sources of climate pollution are featured in the action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (or NDCs), submitted by many countries as part of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate agreement</a> (that's also why the UN's program for reducing emissions from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/deforestation">deforestation</a> and forest degradation, REDD+, was <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2015/12/inclusion-of-redd-in-paris-climate-agreement-heralded-as-major-step-forward-on-deforestation/" target="_blank">included in the Paris agreement as a standalone article</a>).</p><p style="">There's a plethora of recent research showing that, while halting deforestation is of course critical, the restoration of degraded forests and other landscapes are a vital component to meeting the Paris agreement's target of keeping <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">global warming</a> below two degrees Celsius.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNTA0ODUxNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTE2NzIzMH0.eR6XDy_3xRyWMOd3e-IQayzoktbkKDzXTqPGWeKyt5s/img.jpg?width=980" id="c1b39" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="24fc6c5b38445f5f2f1be216f6dc40d0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small placeholder="add caption..." class="image-media media-caption">Deforestation on the Peru-Brazil border.</small><small placeholder="add photo credit..." class="image-media media-photo-credit">Rhett Butler</small></p>
<p style="">Forests currently remove an estimated 30 percent of manmade carbon emissions from the atmosphere, but a suite of studies released on the eve of COP23 found that they <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/11/new-research-shows-why-forests-are-absolutely-essential-to-meeting-paris-climate-agreement-goals/" target="_blank">could be sequestering far more</a>—an additional 100 billion metric tons of carbon by the year 2100—if we were to allow young secondary forests to regrow and improve forest management, which would buy us more time to transition the global economy away from fossil fuels and towards renewables.<br></p><p>Another recent <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/114/44/11645.short" target="_blank">study</a> finds that "natural climate solutions," which consist of a number of conservation, restoration and improved management actions that help increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse gas emissions from forests, wetlands, grasslands and agricultural lands, have the potential to reduce emissions by 11.3 billion metric tons every year by 2030—thus providing 37 percent of the emissions reductions necessary to keep global temperature rise below 2°C.</p><p>WRI originally launched Initiative 20×20 at COP20 in Lima, Peru with a target of restoring 20 million hectares of land in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2020. The initiative was intended to support the goals of the Bonn Challenge, a commitment by dozens of countries and some private entities that have pledged to restore more than 150 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2020, and the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forestlands by 2030.</p><p>So far, 16 countries have committed to restoring 53.2 million hectares of land through Initiative 20×20, far outsripping the initial goal of the program.</p><p>"Restoration in Latin America is an unmissable opportunity," Walter Vergara, the coordinator of Initiative 20×20 at WRI, said in a <a href="http://www.wri.org/news/2017/11/statement-landmark-21-billion-earmarked-restore-degraded-lands-latin-america-offering" target="_blank">statement</a>. "With more than $2 billion of investments earmarked for Latin America alone, restoration is a climate solution that works and is a great investment. Bringing degraded and deforested lands back to life is a win-win-win for investors, governments and local communities. This is precisely why restoration continues to build political and financial momentum."</p><p>But the $2.1 billion in investments pledged so far could have implications beyond Latin America and the Caribbean as investors "move more quickly than ever to capitalize on the business of planting trees," Vergara added.</p><p style="">"WRI research shows the economic benefits of restoring 20 M ha of degraded land in Latin America could reach <a href="http://wri.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d%403838%26JDG%3c%3d27.85.LP%3f%40083%3a&RE=MC&RI=5754997&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=40413&Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">$23 billion</a>, while at the same time reducing GHG emissions, improving food security and livelihoods. The success of Initiative 20×20 in attracting private investment in Latin America is a model for success for other regions and can deliver major emission reductions to meet commitments to the Paris agreement."</p><p style=""><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2017/11/2-billion-investment-in-forest-restoration-announced-at-cop23/">Mongabay</a>.</em></p>
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800,000 People Attempt to Plant 50 Million Trees to Break Guinness World Record
12 July 2016
Popular
More than 800,000 people turned out Monday in India to plant trees in hopes of breaking a world record.
Uttar Pradesh officials distributed 50 million tree saplings across the state to help India increase its forest cover and to break the Guinness World record for the number of trees planted in 24 hours—which was set by Pakistan in 2013 with 847,275 trees—the AP reported. Students, lawmakers, government officials and others headed out to plant trees at designated spots along roads, rail tracks and in forested lands.
Indian state plants 50 million saplings in a single day: Hundreds of thousands of people in India’s most popu... https://t.co/3AERnwLGO3— CITY DXB GUIDE (@CITY DXB GUIDE)1468301715.0
Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, told the AP that this record-breaking attempt would help spread awareness and enthusiasm about afforestation and conservation.
"The world has realized that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard," he said.
The Indian government is encouraging all states to start tree-planting drives like the one in Uttar Pradesh. The government has designated more than $6.2 billion for this purpose alone. India pledged to push its forest cover to 235 million acres by 2030.
Sites where the saplings have been planted with be monitored through aerial photographs, Sanjeev Saran, senior forest official, told the AP. Normally, only 60 percent of saplings survive so it is important for the government to check how many are thriving or dying.
Auditors from Guinness World Records, working "incognito" according to Saran, are checking on the numbers of saplings planted.
"They are out in the field and are supervising the plantation drive," he said. "We do not know who they are or where they are at this point in time."