“We risk reducing natural ecosystems to one metric…"
TLDR Planting one species of tree instead of an ecosystem of multiple species of native trees is not a good idea.
The issue isn’t that we’re planting trees, it’s they’re planting one species of rapidly growing tree in areas that it isn’t native. Because it’s easier…
To do this right means planting a slew of native trees in parts, some trees spaced randomly, come back in 5 years plant some more, come back in 10 years plant some more to fill in again. Forests shouldn’t have one consistent layer of tree cover, if you do that no sunlight gets to the ground for ground foliage growth that is so essential for forest ecosystems. Also don’t clear and replant fallen trees immediately, fallen trees are huge boosts for forest biomes by fertilizing the ground again and providing a home for shrubbery and critters. We need to build forests, not just trees
I actually saw Neil Degrasse Tyson straight up lie about how plants take carbon out of the atmosphere.
He claimed that when plants die, all the carbon they absorbed gets released back into the atmosphere. That’s such complete bullshit and really cemented him as just another bill nye who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
If oil is made primarily from dead plants and plants “release all the carbon they absorbed back into the atmosphere when they die,” then how are we getting even more carbon to release by burning oil?
He also lied about it being the fault of engineers for designing aqueducts that outlast their civilization.