Global warming: Australia wants to plant a billion trees by 2050

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Victims of an unprecedented climate crisis, Australia wants to plant one billion trees and thus intends to reach its targets for CO 2 emissions and boost its economy. It follows many other countries that have all announced impressive numbers of plantations. But is it really effective?

Australia will launch a massive program to plant one billion trees by 2050 or 400,000 hectares of additional forests, Prime Minister Scott Morrison proudly announced on February 16. The goal is to capture 18 million tons of carbon Additional 2030 to be closer to the goals of the Paris Agreements, which provides a reduction in emissions of 26 to 28% for the country from the level of 2005. The country For the moment, it is a bad student, with annual emissions of 500 million tonnes, which continue to rise despite declarations of intent. the coal still accounts for two-thirds of its electricity production. The announcement comes in a very complicated context for the government, accused of its inaction on the environment. For several months, the country has been facing a deadly heat wave and catastrophic floods that scientists are linking to global warming.

The climate, however, does not seem to be the major concern of this plan, dubbed "  One billion trees for growth and employment ": the government's objective is mainly to develop its agroforestry industry. "  The fiber-based materials, cellulose, for example, could replace plastic  " suggests the document published by the Department of Agriculture. The wood may also find opportunities in construction, biofuels, and pharmaceuticals. The government hopes to create 18,000 new jobs in the next 10 years.

When the planet is green: billions of trees planted around the world

Australia is not the only one to bet on trees. With its "Great Green Wall" China has already planted 66 billion trees along the desert Gobi since 1978 in order to stop the advance of sand. Pakistan announced last July that 10 billion trees will be planted across the country by 2023. In 2017, India broke the world record of 66 million trees planted in just 12 hours thanks to the competition of 1.5 million volunteers. Even getting into the cities: in December, Milan has set itself a target of 3 million trees by 2030 to "improve the quality of air and environment of the inhabitants.

3,000 billion trees on Earth, how much CO 2 is captured?

In the end, are all these programs very effective in terms of global warming? Researcher Thomas Crowther has just presented the results of a new study on the subject at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). According to the scientist, planting 1,200 billion trees could absorb enough CO 2 to cancel ten years of human emissions. In a  previous study published in 2015, he estimated the number of trees on the planet at 3.040 billion, seven times more than previous estimates. Despite the enormity of the goal, Thomas Crowther believes that this massive reforestation would be possible without encroaching on agricultural or urban lands, targeting "abandoned parks or land". It is a little difficult to see where these billions of hectares are thus vacant.
On the other hand, if forests absorb 2 billion tons of CO 2 per year, trees can be transformed into CO 2 emitters in case of drought or insects, for example. As for fires, "  they can send into the atmosphere in a few hours all the CO 2 that a forest has patiently accumulated over the decades, " warns INRA. In addition, not all forests are equal: conifers are thus more efficient than hardwoods in absorbing CO 2. Conifers that reduce albedo... thus promoting warming.

Worsening pollution and drought: reforestation programs with perverse effects

In short, it is not enough to announce spectacular numbers for reforestation to be effective. In China, for example, it is estimated that only 15% of planted trees actually survived: poplar monoculture has been decimated by disease and in some places, plantations have actually worsened the situation by pumping scarce water resources and eliminating soil-fixing herbs, reports the British newspaper The Economist. In cities, the "Great Green Barrier" has ultimately worsened pollution by reducing wind circulation, according to a  2018 study of Chinese researchers. Australia is prevented.

WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER

• Australia wants to plant one billion trees by 2050 to reach its CO 2 targets.
• Many countries also have extensive plantation programs.
• Unfortunately, these reforestations are not as effective as expected in some cases.