Climate Change is a global crisis with terrifying consequences.
Our modern life, and the systems we’ve built to power it, mean our society has developed an over-reliance on fossil fuels. And as reported by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change in August 2019, in an effort to feed and provide for our fast-growing populations, our land-use — clearing forest to make way for farms for example — is also contributing to the rising Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG).
In the West, our individual carbon footprints are sky-high. From lighting and heating our homes, to charging our phones, running a hot shower and clothing ourselves — it all adds up. Even going vegan doesn’t equate a carbon-free lifestyle. Ploughing the field, fertilising the land, and transporting the food we eat — be it from Poland, Portugal, a greenhouse near Portsmouth or an orchard near Penrith — it all incurs emissions.
Making changes to our shopping and eating habits, as well as the energy transition to renewables, at the pace needed to avoid irreversible climate impacts simply isn’t happening.
But we can take action.
We haven’t got much time – urgent action is needed now to limit greenhouse gases. We need to restrict global warming to 2ºC by removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere as quickly as possible.
Findings by researchers at ETH Zurich show that tree planting “is the most effective climate change solution available to the world right now.” It’s a major low hanging fruit — in fact, nature-based solutions could contribute up to a third of the emission reductions we need by 2030.
The most effective place to plant trees is in the tropics
Trees are the best technology we already have to stop climate change. To grow quickly, they need hot weather and plenty of rain. The tropics — the belt around the equator — provides the perfect conditions for trees to grow fast, and by focussing our tree planting efforts here, it is one of the most effective ways to remove CO₂ from our atmosphere quickly.
We are measuring our trees so we know just how much CO₂ they contain. By quantifying the carbon stored in the trees that have been planted through the programme, we hope to generate additional revenue for the farmers and project by selling carbon offsets.
Our agroforestry model provides a sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn farming and ranching, which is the main driver of deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. With annual yields from fruit trees such as lime and cocoa, and other crops such as huasai and chilli peppers — that can be grown in the alleys alongside trees — smallholders have an regular income and no longer need to cut down near areas of forest simply to feed themselves and their families.
How you can take action
Donate just £20 today and you could help a farmer in the Plant Your Future programme restore degraded farmland with 10 trees. That also includes the vital funds needed for maintaining and nurturing the trees — healthy growth and survival is the only way the agroforestry systems will have the impact we need in our fight against global warming.
And what’s more, providing the leg up that farmers in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest need to be able to farm sustainably addresses one of the leading causes of deforestation — poverty. So not only will you be helping to plant trees where they’ll have the greatest impact on global warming, you’ll also be helping us reduce the threat of the rainforest being cut down.
Achievements
In 2015 our project achieved certification by independent auditors Rainforest Alliance under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS).
Find out more by reading our Press Release from 2015.
If you’re interested in buying carbon offsets from the Plant Your Future project we’d love to hear from you.