Diverse, intact forests are literally the greenest infrastructure on Earth, vital to our health and survival. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, protecting forests is truly the greenest investment we can make for our future. Yet environmental policy solutions put forward in America today largely fail to recognize protecting existing, natural forests as a “green infrastructure” priority.
Read the full piece on why we need to prioritize protecting and restoring forests as part of the upcoming Green Stimulus and Infrastructure bailout.
The US is the world’s largest consumer and producer of wood products. Every year, millions of acres of forests are logged, damaging the greenest life-supporting infrastructure on Earth, releasing vast amounts of unreported carbon into the atmosphere, and limiting forests’ ability to remove carbon and provide natural protections against intensifying flooding and droughts.
The degradation of forests along with the pollution of our air and water has left communities in a degraded economic condition, with disproportionately high poverty and unemployment rates. These same communities are bearing the brunt of the economic impacts of extreme weather events linked to climate change. And now, they are at greater risk of dying prematurely if they get the Coronavirus due to high levels of industrial pollution which have been linked to higher mortality rates.
Forests should be prioritized in a way that reduces poverty and increases well-being. The world’s leading scientists recently revealed that restoring degraded land between now and 2030 could generate $9 trillion in environmental benefits, such as clean water, clean air, and increased wildlife.
It’s not too late for “green” policy initiatives to embrace letting existing natural forests grow to reach their full biological potential. No batteries, no mining, no transportation, no chemicals, and no factories are required. Protecting forests is truly the greenest investment we can make for our future.
Invest in our green future today. Make a special Earth Day gift to protect the forests and people of the South.
For our forests,
