India is developing at a rapid pace, which is a great thing. Development promises better jobs, fewer inequalities, and better lives for everyone. Why then are there people protesting against this? All the trees cut in Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, and Mumbai, well, a similar number will be planted elsewhere, right?
Except that doesn’t work. And if we aren’t careful, the flood in Bangalore won’t be the last. Pavements won’t be burning in Delhi alone.
After all, the disturbance of ecological balance here cannot be mitigated or solved by planting trees in another ecosystem. At least, most of the time it cannot, given what we understand, despite the fact that emitting unnecessary excessive carbon anywhere affects climate change everywhere.
This is because of a few reasons. The first being that trees and local flora provide biodiversity and ecosystem services to their local area, alongside being carbon sinks for the whole world. For example, Mangroves with their unique roots can help prevent flooding and soil erosion. So, if we cut an excessive number of trees in Mumbai, and say plant the same number of trees in Uttar Pradesh, well, it won’t stop floods in the financial capital of our country.
Now, let us see how this strategy doesn’t even help with the global carbon sink effect.
Why We Simply Can’t Replace Old Trees
Replacing older trees with saplings doesn’t work because older trees have more stored carbon since they’ve had a long time to take in CO2. Now when we cut that tree, not only do we release that Co2 in an atmosphere which absolutely cannot take more CO2, but the replacement we are planting will have to be nurtured and even then take years to grow to a point where it can take in the amount of CO2 that old tree had stored already. It is a very long-term solution, if we take an optimistic lens, but even then, the local ecological issues will happen, and we often don’t see plans to mitigate them until it is too late. Trees also help reduce the temperatures of places, and cutting them can increase heat in the time of heat-waves.
Also check:- Unveiling Madhya Pradesh: A Tapestry of Wonders
While development must occur and essential services need to reach everyone, our urban planners and tree cover need to be prioritised. We must build the road, but our trees must also stand. It is a tricky problem, especially given that many developing countries with biodiversity hotspots are the ones who struggle to preserve said biodiversity, but if any country can do it, India can. Whether that means looking outside for solutions that have worked or innovating at home, we can achieve sustainable development. After all, what other do we have?
