The Land & Climate Podcast
The editorial team from The Land and Climate Review interview thinkers and policymakers in the world of economics, land-use and climate policy. Find more on our site at www.landclimate.org
The Land & Climate Podcast
Why can't we 'just plant trees'?
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Economy Land & Climate Insight Team
Afforestation projects are being used worldwide as a nature-based solution to climate change. Afforestry is the practice of planting trees on otherwise arid, barren land. Harvard scholar Rosetta Elkin explains how large-scale tree planting in otherwise treeless environments rarely makes ecological sense. In many instances throughout history, these projects have also been used as instruments of colonial forestry, used by the coloniser as a way of staking claim to the land. Elkin argues for a better understanding of our ecosystem on the scale of one single tree rather than whole forests.
Further Reading
- Buy "Plant Life: The Entangled Politics of Afforestation" from Minnesota Press
- "The Long Shadow of Colonial Forestry is a threat to savannas and grasslands"
- "Hygienic Nature: Afforestation and the greening of colonial Hong Kong"
Click here to read our investigation into the UK biomass supply chain, or watch a clip from the BBC Newsnight documentary.