There are more than 60 thousand different types of trees in the world. Which one is your favorite?
Remember it well because it might not be around for much longer. While there are an estimated three trillion trees in the world, we lose about twenty seven soccer fields worth of trees every minute. That said, you can play a part in changing that.
The Internet is banding together to plant 20 million trees by the end of the year. And if you want to help out, all you have to do is visit team trees dot org where you can plant a tree for just one dollar. And if you don't have a dollar to spare, then get the word out by sharing this article.
This is what if and here's what would happen if everyone planted a tree on their birthday.
There are seven point seven billion people on the planet.
One hundred and thirty million people are born every year, which is about 250 births a minute. This means that on any given day there could be about three hundred and fifty thousand people celebrating a birthday.
So, yes, we're talking about planning a lot of trees, but we could certainly use them. Why? How much do you like breathing trees and plants produce the air we breathe.
But if that's not good enough for you, there are also natural heaters, air conditioners, noise reducers, move improvers, flood preventers and property value increases boat and they absorb harmful carbon emissions that are warming our planet and endangering our lives.
Given the state of our environment, how many trees will be enough to save us?
To put it in perspective, you would need 1 trillion. Five hundred and forty five billion trees to absorb all the emissions that were produced in the year 2010.
But could we reach that goal if everyone planted a tree on their birthday with the average global lifespan at 72 years old? That means that everyone plants give or take 72 trees in their lifetime.
Assuming our population stays about the same and we don't pollute any more than we do now, it would take two and a half generations of continuous birthday tree planting to finally plant one and a half trillion trees, even if that timeline was possible.
This massive tree planting effort would require a land area the size of Asia, Europe and Australia combined. But that's no reason to be discouraged.
There are more trees on the planet now than there were 30 years ago. And studies show that there's enough suitable land on earth to increase the number of trees by a third without it impacting our agriculture or cities.
But while a massive tree planting project could erase almost 100 years of carbon emissions, it would also take 100 years to grow these forests to a suitable size.
And with the world's population expected to be at 11 billion in 100 years. Now might be a good time to start planting. Right now, roughly half of the world's population lives in cities, and that figure is expected to rise about 70 percent by 2050.
This means that cities will have to expand and develop the surrounding countryside. This means fewer trees and even more greenhouse gases. We're going to need a lot of trees if we hope to build large, sustainable cities.
Just one tree can produce enough oxygen for four people, while 100 million trees can absorb 18 million tons of carbon dioxide and save $4 billion a year in air conditioning costs.
Urban density has a huge impact on the local temperature in cities with a million people or more. It can be as high as 12 degrees hotter than out in the country because pavement and concrete are natural heat absorbers. But trees are a welcome relief not only by offering shade, but they also release water vapour from their leaves.
Trees are effective against cold weather, too. As natural windbreakers, they can reduce heating costs for families by as much as 25 percent.
So with their natural climate control abilities and their ability to soften the noise of dense city traffic, you can probably guess why trees are natural stress relievers as well. But despite all these benefits, you can have too much of a good thing to protect themselves against environmental stresses like insect infestations and extreme heat.
Trees release volatile organic compounds VLCC, which can react with other chemicals in the air to produce methane and ozone. So in their own little way, too many trees can also pose a risk to the environment. Now it's highly unlikely that everyone on earth will plant a tree on their birthday, but something that isn't unlikely is planting 20 million trees.
Once again, you can go to team trees dot org where every dollar you donate means one tree will be planted and a part of the money we make from this article will donate to team trees dawg. Org. So share with your friends so we can plant more trees.
Let's see if we can get to 20 million by the end of the year. Right now we're losing 7.3 million hectares of forest every year, which is an area roughly the size of Panama and a lot of massive tree planting projects are being stymied by political or economic conflicts. Not to mention geographic limitations.
But as long as you have a backyard, a handful of seeds and the right climate, you can make a difference by planting just one small tree. So give it a try. Help us grow a better future and go out on a limb next time. On what if?
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| What If Everyone Planted a Tree? |
Remember it well because it might not be around for much longer. While there are an estimated three trillion trees in the world, we lose about twenty seven soccer fields worth of trees every minute. That said, you can play a part in changing that.
The Internet is banding together to plant 20 million trees by the end of the year. And if you want to help out, all you have to do is visit team trees dot org where you can plant a tree for just one dollar. And if you don't have a dollar to spare, then get the word out by sharing this article.
This is what if and here's what would happen if everyone planted a tree on their birthday.
There are seven point seven billion people on the planet.
One hundred and thirty million people are born every year, which is about 250 births a minute. This means that on any given day there could be about three hundred and fifty thousand people celebrating a birthday.
So, yes, we're talking about planning a lot of trees, but we could certainly use them. Why? How much do you like breathing trees and plants produce the air we breathe.
But if that's not good enough for you, there are also natural heaters, air conditioners, noise reducers, move improvers, flood preventers and property value increases boat and they absorb harmful carbon emissions that are warming our planet and endangering our lives.
Given the state of our environment, how many trees will be enough to save us?
To put it in perspective, you would need 1 trillion. Five hundred and forty five billion trees to absorb all the emissions that were produced in the year 2010.
But could we reach that goal if everyone planted a tree on their birthday with the average global lifespan at 72 years old? That means that everyone plants give or take 72 trees in their lifetime.
Assuming our population stays about the same and we don't pollute any more than we do now, it would take two and a half generations of continuous birthday tree planting to finally plant one and a half trillion trees, even if that timeline was possible.
This massive tree planting effort would require a land area the size of Asia, Europe and Australia combined. But that's no reason to be discouraged.
There are more trees on the planet now than there were 30 years ago. And studies show that there's enough suitable land on earth to increase the number of trees by a third without it impacting our agriculture or cities.
But while a massive tree planting project could erase almost 100 years of carbon emissions, it would also take 100 years to grow these forests to a suitable size.
And with the world's population expected to be at 11 billion in 100 years. Now might be a good time to start planting. Right now, roughly half of the world's population lives in cities, and that figure is expected to rise about 70 percent by 2050.
This means that cities will have to expand and develop the surrounding countryside. This means fewer trees and even more greenhouse gases. We're going to need a lot of trees if we hope to build large, sustainable cities.
Just one tree can produce enough oxygen for four people, while 100 million trees can absorb 18 million tons of carbon dioxide and save $4 billion a year in air conditioning costs.
Urban density has a huge impact on the local temperature in cities with a million people or more. It can be as high as 12 degrees hotter than out in the country because pavement and concrete are natural heat absorbers. But trees are a welcome relief not only by offering shade, but they also release water vapour from their leaves.
Trees are effective against cold weather, too. As natural windbreakers, they can reduce heating costs for families by as much as 25 percent.
So with their natural climate control abilities and their ability to soften the noise of dense city traffic, you can probably guess why trees are natural stress relievers as well. But despite all these benefits, you can have too much of a good thing to protect themselves against environmental stresses like insect infestations and extreme heat.
Trees release volatile organic compounds VLCC, which can react with other chemicals in the air to produce methane and ozone. So in their own little way, too many trees can also pose a risk to the environment. Now it's highly unlikely that everyone on earth will plant a tree on their birthday, but something that isn't unlikely is planting 20 million trees.
Once again, you can go to team trees dot org where every dollar you donate means one tree will be planted and a part of the money we make from this article will donate to team trees dawg. Org. So share with your friends so we can plant more trees.
Let's see if we can get to 20 million by the end of the year. Right now we're losing 7.3 million hectares of forest every year, which is an area roughly the size of Panama and a lot of massive tree planting projects are being stymied by political or economic conflicts. Not to mention geographic limitations.
But as long as you have a backyard, a handful of seeds and the right climate, you can make a difference by planting just one small tree. So give it a try. Help us grow a better future and go out on a limb next time. On what if?
* This article was originally published here
