#teamtrees | YouTuber MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) 20 million trees campaign

#teamtrees is a campaign that aims to plant 20,000,000 trees. According to the authors of the project, such a measure should significantly reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, not all agree that this strategy will be successful.

#teamtrees Planting 20,000,000 Trees
#teamtrees, Planting 20,000,000 Trees

Will 20 million trees save our planet

Recently, YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, in collaboration with the Arbor Day Foundation, launched an unusual campaign - #TeamTrees.

Their goal is to plant millions of new trees because “reforestation has a global potential to mitigate climate change compared to all other natural climate solutions.”

They cite a 2017 study published in the journal PNAS, which states that reforestation - the process of planting new trees - is the best way to prevent the Earth’s temperature increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius.

The logic is quite simple: trees take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air to grow and produce food through photosynthesis, and at the same time, emit oxygen as part of this process. Thus, if enough trees planted, they could theoretically absorb enough CO2 to curb climate change.

Unfortunately, this is not so simple.

And the first problem is the lack of space. A study published in the journal Science showed that if we planted new trees on 900 million hectares, they could absorb two-thirds of the carbon dioxide that we have released into the atmosphere over the past 250 years.

But many scientists do not agree with these figures and believe that the potential of trees is exaggerated. One group of researchers said: “The assertion that global tree restoration is the most effective solution to climate change is simply wrong and scientifically dangerous.”

Also, not all trees are equally effective in absorbing carbon dioxide. If such an array of trees planted, then there will be almost no non-forest territory on Earth. Pastures and crops, farms, and meadows disappear - we have nowhere to grow food. As a result, humanity will face a new food crisis.

However, all agree on one thing - the forests of the Earth need to be restored at least partially. In 2015, scientists counted that around the world, about 15 million trees cut down annually, and we have already lost 46% of the total mass of wood. 

Yes, new forests will not solve the problem completely, but they will significantly contribute to its slowdown. Elon Musk promised to donate $ 1,000,000 to this campaign and even changed his Twitter name.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey followed suit with his pledge of $ 150,000, not to mention the many activists around the world. So #TeamTrees has every chance of success - we wish them good luck!