Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to plant 2 billion trees across the country to offset increased carbon emissions won’t have an impact on fighting climate change, according to a report.
A spring bulletin from the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society says the program was “overrated,” according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Government is committed to planting 2 billion new trees in Canada by 2030,” said the bulletin, entitled, A Way Forward on the Climate Crisis. “This program is overrated as a means to fight climate change, especially the government’s intention to help counter carbon emissions.”
The society said it would actually take 10 billion mature trees that are between 50 and 100 years old — not new seedlings — to remove Canada’s carbon emissions.
“Those statistics make tree planting helpful for drawing down atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) over the next two centuries, but not for countering annual emissions.”
Promised during the last election campaign, the Liberals proposed the planting of 2 billion trees within a decade. However, the program is behind schedule, according to a government note entitled, “Two Billion Trees Questions And Answers.”
“Tree planting requires careful planning to ensure the right tree is planted in the right place at the right time for the right reasons,” said the note. “Different species and sizes of trees are required in different planting projects across the country.”
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A year ago, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said the country planted more than 110 million trees since the program was launched in 2021, well ahead of their target of 90 million in two years.
According to the Yale School of Forestry, Canada has 318 billion trees, which amounts to about 25% of the planet’s original forest cover.