Why just planting trees won’t save us from climate change

Trees are part of the solution, but not the whole solution.

Trees are great: they are carbon sinks, vital, and beautiful. They even enhance our mental health. But you’ve been told a comforting lie that planting more and more trees will stop climate change. WRONG.

Here’s why: Young trees are great, they take in a lot of C02 while they grow. Mature trees are essentially near carbon neutral. Mature trees have a large carbon stock already in them, and they continue to absorb C02. Then, the rate of C02 absorption slows down. Older trees end up releasing C02 as they age through natural processes such as respiration and decomposition. When they die or burn through deforestation or wildfires, they release that C02 back into our atmosphere. They release around the same amount of C02 that they absorb. The point is that it takes a long time for trees to mature, and we don’t have that time.

The sheer volume of CO2 we’re emitting is off the charts. Even if we planted billions of young trees, the rate at which they absorb CO2, while fast for a tree, is still too slow to counter the rapid current rate of GHG emissions. It takes a long time for trees to reach their potential in absorbing carbon dioxide. Thanks for reading!

Published 2/22/2025

Credit to The Economist for the cover image