Inside the controversial tree farms powering Apple’s carbon neutral goal
1 min read
Summary
The tech giant and other companies are investing in the fast-growing trees to help fight climate change but encounter locals’ fears about drought, fires, and damage to native flora in the Brazilian savanna, which is partially cleared for their cultivation.
The effort is to generate carbon credits for reducing emissions rather than just avoiding deforestation, but questions about the integrity of such markets have grown.
The push to plant more trees globally, including the trillion-tree campaign, has also raised questions about where and whether they should be planted, particularly in biodiversity-rich areas like the Cerrado.
Scientists say thousands of native plant and animal species could be threatened by a eucalyptus monoculture.
Opponents also cite water depletion and the risk of catastrophic fires.
But the trees are a more dependable way to remove carbon from the atmosphere than restoring native ecosystems, they argue.
Brazil’s deforestation has intensified in recent years, threatening efforts to curb its carbon emissions.
Suzano, Brazil’s biggest paper company, wants to reopen the world’s largest pulp mill, which closed after a tails dam burst, killing 250 people, in Minas Gerais state.