In her poem, “When I am among the trees,” the late, great American naturalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver, declared “I would almost say that they (trees) save me, and daily.”
While Mary Oliver’s words are affirming, they’re also, it seems, prophetic. Because trees are indeed helping to save us.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has just launched its flagship report the State of the World’s Forests 2024 under the theme: Forests and Innovation. In its pages, are example after example of how trees together with science and innovation are safeguarding our planet.
By marrying human ingenuity with sustainable use of our forests, the planet is being given a fighting chance to mitigate climate change. Thanks to scientific breakthroughs, almost anything made from crude oil which negatively impacts the environment can now be produced sustainably from materials found in trees.
“The speed at which new challenges to sustainable development are arising is only matched by the rate at which innovations are emerging to deal with them. The incredible ingenuity of humans should give us hope that we can chart a course towards a sustainable planet and avert the threats we face,” said QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.
Extraordinary leaps in science are enabling renewable materials made from wood to replace plastics, graphite in batteries and building materials like concrete and steel which emit harmful CO2 into the atmosphere. Wood plastics are being turned into anything from car components to recyclable replacement plastic bags.
Thanks to new technologies, clothes are now being produced from sustainable fibers made from trees and there are even breakthroughs in space travel with a small satellite made from magnolia planned for launch later in the year. This Japanese wooden satellite will burn up completely upon re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
One of the many advantages of using materials made from wood is that they store carbon for their lifespan. This means that less carbon is released into the atmosphere, which when combined with oxygen, forms carbon dioxide.
With climate change leading to increases in the intensity and extent of major forest disturbances, such as wildfire, insect pests, disease, drought, storms, flooding and landslides, the rate of forest degradation and loss is concerning. Here too, technology is proving a force for hope with A-I and cutting-edge drone technologies being used to combat wildfires, pests and forest misuse.
“With the world’s forests facing escalating threats, forest sector innovation can help scale-up forest conservation, restoration and sustainable use,” said Amy Duchelle, Team Leader of the Forests and Climate Change team at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
When people think of forests, they think of either protecting or harvesting them. But a third approach is emerging and gaining awareness which centres on the idea of growing forests.
A #GrowTheSolution initiative, backed by the United Nations, is spreading the word about the many benefits of sustainably grown, managed and harvested wood use as a solution towards a sustainable future.
While we need to remain vigilant about deforestation, illegal logging and the other significant threats to global forests, harnessing trees through tech advancements to tackle climate change is welcome news for people and the planet.
*Giulia Sirignani consults with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations as a speechwriter and multi-media specialist. This article on the State of the World’s Forests was written in her capacity as contributor for Women Love Tech.
