N2 is proud to be a partner of One Tree Planted
N2 is proud to be a partner of One Tree Planted
The importance of trees
In the Northern Hemisphere, whether you are in the city or countryside, it’s impossible not to notice that almost overnight trees have taken on a whole new lease of life. This transformation of fresh leaves and blossom emerging marks the beginning of spring.
Beyond their positive effect on our mood, trees play a vital role in:
- Filtering the air we breathe.
- Filtering the water we drink.
- Providing habitat for 80% of our planet's terrestrial biodiversity.
- Providing jobs for 1.6 billion people.
- Containing a key ingredient for 25% of all medicines.
The six pillars of reforestation
These six pillars outlined by One tree Planted explain why trees are important for the environment.
- Air: healthy, strong trees offset carbon and reduce the effects of climate change.
- Water: trees play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides.
- Biodiversity: a single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants.
- Social: the forestry industry provides a great number of jobs. Sustainable tree farming provides timber for building materials and wood to burn for cooking and heating.
- Health: like a new lease of life of marking the beginning of spring, trees positively affect our mental and physical health. Research has shown that patients recover faster if they are in a room overlooking trees, compared to the rate of a room that does not overlook trees.
- Climate: trees play a crucial role in the carbon cycle, they help cool the planet by absorbing and storing harmful greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) — and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere.
Why we need to plant trees
Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees to make room for something besides forest. This can include clearing the land for agriculture or grazing, or using the timber for fuel, construction or manufacturing. Some figures on deforestation, according to National Geographic:
- 2,000 years ago, 80% of Western Europe was forested; today, that figure is down to 34%.
- From the 1600s to 1870s, 50% of Eastern North America forests were cut down for timber and agriculture.
- China's forests are down to covering just 20% of its landmass.
- Much of Earth's farmland was once forests.
Why we need to take action on the restoration of our ecosystem
We are all aware of the crucial situation our ecosystem is in, the United Nations has taken action in declaring the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world. This decade, we need to halt the degradation of our ecosystems and also restore them to achieve The Global Goals. One Tree Planted provides an invaluable service in achieving this goal; with support from everyone involved, every tree planted is one step closer to restoring our ecosystems. Reforestation is also a logistically viable, actionable, and affordable solution to counteract climate change.
The UN Decade runs from 2021 through 2030, which is also the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals and the timeline scientists have identified as the last chance to prevent catastrophic climate change.
Some other partners of One Tree Planted
