Ireland will plant twenty-two million trees a year over the next twenty years, their Government has said.
The Government’s climate action plan, which was published in June, proposes 19,768 acres of new foresty every year to capture carbon emissions.
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It suggests this will involve 2,500 conifers or 3,300 broad-leaf trees for every 2.5 acres planted. The goal is for 30 percent broad-leaf trees, and 70 percent conifers. A Department of Communications Climate Action and Environment spokeswoman said:
“The climate action plan commits to delivering an expansion of forestry planting and soil management to ensure that carbon abatement from land-use is delivered over the period 2021 to 2030 and in the years beyond. The plan sets out key actions to be taken by the Department of Agriculture. The target for new forestation is approximately 22 million trees per year. Over the next 20 years, the target is to plant 440 million.”2
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Scientists have long touted the carbon-capturing abilities of trees. A study released in July found one of the most affordable ways to combat rampant greenhouse gas emissions worldwide — the prime driver of climate change — would be to plant a trillion trees or more in the coming years.
Ireland’s ambitious plan would involve a meaningful change in the use of the country’s farmland. Right now, there is a lack of interest among the farming community for forestry. A crucial part of the plan will be to persuade farmers to allocate some of their lands for tree-planting in the future.
Government-organized town-hall-style meetings are being held throughout the country to encourage communities to support the goals.
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The plan also proposes a massive increase in electric vehicles (EVs). They hope to increase them by an average of 100,000 annually over the next decade, reaching almost one million EVs by 2030.
Some 50,000 homes will need to undergo deep retrofits each year to meet the target dates of the plan.
Many other countries have focused on tree planting initiatives. In July, Ethiopia planted more than 350 million trees in a single day as part of a nationwide effort to combat deforestation and global warming. India had a similar mass planing initiative in 2016 when 50 million trees were planted in a day.
The lofty targets will remain a challenge to many countries, however. An effort in England to cover thousands of acres with new forests fell more than 70 percent short of government targets earlier this year.
I think we can all agree that no matter your views on climate change, more trees are always welcome.
Sources:
- HuffPost
- The Irish Times
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