Troves Of Trees
Since the beginning of time, trees have provided us with two of life's essentials - food and oxygen. As we evolved, trees provided additional necessities such as shelter, medicine, and tools. Today, their value continues to increase, and more benefits of trees are being discovered as their role expands to satisfy the needs created by our new modern lifestyles. They are irreplaceable, with a function that not only provides but also reduces our Carbon Footprint.
A carbon footprint is the quantification of greenhouse gases—primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) —released into the atmosphere by particular human activity. With industrialization, greenhouse gas production has increased dramatically, contributing to global warming. Trees are a crucial element in modern society because they efficiently absorb and remove harmful greenhouse gases through photosynthesis, an incredibly complex process with incredibly profound impacts on our environments. Simplified, photosynthesis harnesses the energy of sunlight to convert toxic greenhouse gases like CO2 into pure sugar glucose and oxygen. This process is so efficient that the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that's "One acre of forest absorbs six tons of CO2 and releases four tons of oxygen a year." Through the process of photosynthesis, trees can remove climate change-inducing greenhouse gases from our atmosphere.
Unfortunately, our trees are vanishing at an alarming rate as greenhouse gases continue to rise. We are chopping our way to a global crisis. A study conducted by the World Bank found that "Between 1990 and 2016, the world lost 502,000 square miles of forest - an area larger than South Africa." This rapid loss of trees is not only from deforestation but also natural disasters that are increasing in severity and magnitude attributed to climate change. With this loss in trees, we're not only seeing rising CO2 but also ecosystem extinction.
Take A Look At Australia
1 Billion Animals Killed
2,700 Firefighters Battling, With No Luck
25 Million Acres Burned
Two Dozen Lives Lost
2,000 Homes Destroyed
The Fire Season Was Only Begging
According to the World Resource Institute, "Tree cover alone provides 23 percent of climate mitigation efforts required over the next decade to meet the goal set in the Paris agreement, which aimed to keep warming under 2 degrees Celcius." Reforestation is the best step we need to take to tackle our immense CO2 problem. Not only do planting trees de-intensify climate change, but they enable the ecosystem to thrive again, purifying our air, cleaning our water, and even providing food. The New York Times adds, "Trees are nature's water filters, capable of cleaning up toxic wastes, largely through a dense community of microbes around the tree's roots that clean water in exchange for nutrients." They are like nature caregivers. Trees are on the frontline of fighting climate change, but we are killing them fast.
Only by planting a few trees, or a few hundred, you can make a difference. That is why Light CO2 is here. With a monthly contribution as low as $5 or a one-time donation, you can do the climb towards a brighter future, with a decreased carbon footprint. We know because we've done it before, and planted thousands of trees together. From eucalyptus trees in Australia to our national forests of Colorado, we're making a difference with global impact - and we're going to need as much help as we can muster.
