Isn’t it more important to protect existing forests?
Prevention is better than cure, so it is logical that the burning of fossil fuels must be limited as much as possible. Cutting down a forest only to replant it is illogical. Approximately 15 million hectares of forest is lost annually; 80% of forests that were growing 8,000 years ago have been cut down. Deforestation of tropical forests accounts for an annual rise of 5.9 billion tonnes CO^₂; if the trend continues, a further 77 billion tonnes carbon (that is equivalent to 282 billion tonnes CO^₂) will be added to the atmosphere in the next 50 years. The primary cause of deforestation is human population growth; people need to live, eat and find an income. The preservation of our forests must be given priority in order to balance the consequences of the increased population growth. Trees for Travel has also started to protect rainforests; from 2006 we achieve this via trees for all.