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Call for Organisational training

We believe that the representation of diverse voices in the environmental youth movement is the key to good policymaking. (Under)representation of young people from rural communities, minorities and vulnerable groups affects the design, implementation and effectiveness of policies. Facing the climate emergency, we want to make sure that those who feel its consequences the most have space in decision-making and know that their voice matters. With this project, we want to engage with young people locally, while empowering and connecting youth internationally.

Online Training to Central and Eastern Europe (youth-led NGOs or youth groups in Central and Eastern Europe with priority towards Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania) with access to a facility/venue to work with marginalised youth on the local level; already working with marginalized communities with limited capacity/knowledge, or with a strategy/ strong vision for working with marginalized communities, able to assign at least one employee/volunteer to participate in the training course and lead the sub-granted project.

This training is for you if:

🟡 You are between the ages of 16 – 30

🟡 Your organisation is from Central or Eastern Europe
🟡  You want to extend your capacity in terms of working with marginalised communities
🟡  You believe in diversity and inclusion and you would like to do something to make your local community more inclusive and environmentally aware.

🟡  You are already working or plan to work with marginalised communities and are searching for support or guidance in your efforts.

At the training, you will:

🟣 Discuss the different types of disadvantaged communities present in our local regions that can be target groups for future projects and cooperation

🟣 Work together to understand how to better integrate disadvantaged communities in the decision making process of projects as well as how to shape projects and events around their needs

🟣 Develop your understanding of the importance of integration and environmental activism
🟣 Discuss possible project topics, structure, dead-lines, and future sub-granting availability.

After the training:

Participants of the training course will get an opportunity to apply for a sub-grant to develop the capacity of their organisation to work with young people with fewer opportunities.

Practical information

  • When

    1st February 2023 and 3rd February 2023

  • Where

    Online

  • How

    Register your interest before 28th January

Apply now

This training course is part of the Showcasing the Unheard project.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us:

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Call for Organisational training | Showcasing the Unheard

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3 Billion Trees - Can the EU do it?

by Chloé ten Brink

What is the 3 Billion Tree Pledge?

3 billion trees – a big number, a big promise. As part of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the European Union committed to planting 3 billion additional trees by 2030. Without a doubt, trees are incredibly important to our natural environment – they provide crucial roles in various ecosystems, are home to many diverse species, absorb carbon, improve human health and well-being and serve essential roles in flood control and water filtration. This EU pledge plans to do just that. By increasing forest cover in the EU, “in full respect of ecological principles: the right tree species in forests, agricultural areas, urban and peri-urban areas and along infrastructure corridors”. Is this promise too good to be true?

The forest expansion rate in the EU has been slow in recent years, and a goal of 3 billion additional trees would double the total forest expansion rate in Europe between 2005 and 2020. It is currently estimated that in the EU, 300 million trees are grown annually. Currently, as of October 2022, the activity under the pledge has resulted in 6,787,146 new trees have been planted, carried out in all 27 countries with help from 28 organisations such as Land Life and ReforestAction. 

Afforestation – a solution for the biodiversity and climate crisis?

Afforestation and reforestation are not new policies, humans have been planting trees for centuries. There is a consensus that trees and forests are worthwhile and there is a policy to support it. The EU itself has seen the afforestation of approximately one million hectares of agricultural land between 1994-1999, and 700 hectares between 2000 and 2007. Many countries have afforestation policies in place. Canada’s Forest 2020 Plantation Development and Assessment Initiative, not dissimilar to this pledge, saw the plantation of 6000 hectares of forest and its success encouraged the government’s investment of $3.16 billion to plant 2 billion trees in ten years in 2020. Famously, the African Union put in place the Great Green Wall, an ambitious policy to help combat desertification, the AU has been planting a wall of trees to cover 100 million hectares of land and absorbs 250 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere. Other approaches have been taken – in 1981, China put in place a law which requires children over the age of 11 to plant a tree per year. 

What is the impact on biodiversity…? 

What does planting trees do? Firstly, forests are important loci for biodiversity, representing often dense ecosystems with diverse plants and animals. Forests are thought to be important habitats, “home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity on land”. Planting more trees in forested areas or reforesting struggling forest ecosystems can have many important impacts. Forests are important habitats and maintaining their integrity through reforestation can ensure that wildlife remains in the region and isn’t forced to relocate. Increased forest density and diversity have also been linked to an increase in species richness for fungi and soil invertebrates. Moreover, tree plantation in urban areas (included in the 3 Billion Trees Pledge) has been studied as a positive act that attracts and shelters wildlife species, particularly birds and insects, and provides shade.

Forests are also key for soil quality and resilience. A lack of trees has been seen to cause a sensibility to soil erosion. Trees’ overlapping and interconnected roots provide a structural role in the topsoil layer of land. This topsoil layer can erode (runoff) without trees in place, which in turn risks the land becoming infertile and inhospitable to the plantation. Moreover, afforestation has been found to improve watersheds, which are key for water supply. 

.. and for the climate?

The benefits don’t stop there – trees can help us in the fight against climate change. Carbon sequestration is a bit of a buzzword in the environmental sphere but it shouldn’t be dismissed. Restoring forests and increasing generally the number of plants on our earth has the potential to absorb and store large amounts of carbon – these are known as carbon sinks. Through photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is absorbed by trees, and they in turn release oxygen. The absorbed carbon is turned to sugar which is used in the wood, branches and roots, meaning that it remains in the standing tree. Even once the tree dies, it takes years for the carbon to break down, apart from when leaves decompose and when carbon is released more quickly. The age of the tree impacts its carbon sequestration aptitude, with middle-aged trees being the most effective and young trees the least effective due to size. Overall, uneven-aged forests are the best at carbon capture – meaning that planting trees in strategic places would allow for uneven-aged forests and increase the potential for carbon sequestration. 

For this reason, afforestation and reforestation are seen as one of the great ‘natural solutions’ for climate mitigation. Policymakers believe these forms of ecosystem services are probable to be of rising importance and relevance due to their impact both for mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and general benefits to our environment. This potential has been recognised internationally with the Paris Agreement emphasising the importance of carbon sinks in order to achieve a balance between emissions and removals. Carbon sinks are a key part of EU environmental policy with recent targets set to increase carbon sinks by 15% compared to today in the land use and forestry sector. 

Overall, the pledge could be very powerful in this regard: 3 billion trees covering 2 million ha could remove up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere already by 2030, and as much as 15 million tonnes by 2050, according to the European Commission. The decision to encourage tree planting, therefore, seems a logical one, both in terms of benefits for climate and biodiversity.

The right tree, in the right place, for the right reason

However, as with most environmental solutions, it is not as clear-cut as it seems. 

Simply planting trees isn’t a be-all and end-all solution to our dual crisis.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, the EU’s environment commissioner, commented: “That’s our promise. To plant three billion trees. The right trees, in the right place, for the right reason” – this second half is essential, we can’t simply plant any tree anywhere and assume it is beneficial. It must be done properly – is the 3 billion tree pledge ready for that? 

The pledge, in all its ambition, has limitations. With 8 years left, there are still 2.993 billion trees to be planted and yet, given the voluntary nature of the pledge, it is unclear how the number will be reached. The pledge came along with a roadmap which primarily relies on monitoring through the Forest Information System for Europe and the creation of a new app MapMyTree so citizens can upload and monitor their trees and progress. Anyone can plant a tree – but it is essential that native tree species to the area are planted, and that it is done with care and understanding of the surrounding ecosystem. 

Avoiding Monocultures 

The pledge is ambitious – asking for huge amounts of trees to be planted – but it cannot be stressed enough that monocultures cannot be a solution to short-cut to the end-goal of 3 billion trees.  Monocultures were conceptualised as a way to produce as much wood “in as little time as possible and, technically in the simplest manner” in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe as a response to timber shortages. Their simplicity is at odds with the necessary complexity of biodiversity. In setting high targets for tree plantation, there is the potential that concerned actors would cut corners and plant large plantations of similar species – not a sustainable approach to forestry. As Friends of the Earth International, World Rainforest Movement and FERN, said monoculture tree plantations done in the guise of carbon sinks would “have to be large-scale and thus even more destructive — are exactly the opposite of “sustainable development”. Ecosystem uniformity means that there is a lack of genetic diversity as well as typically close planting, making monoculture plantations vulnerable to pests and diseases. 

Where’s the money? 

Another issue with the pledge is funding. The reality is that to achieve such an ambitious goal as 3 billion trees, there will be a need for monetary incentives. In the EU’s public consultation on the issue, a main key challenge in terms of planting additional trees was identified: “financial resources/loss of farmland value after conversion to forest land”, an issue raised by 62.88% of respondents. It seems that this pledge is relying on the use of pre-existing EU and national funds and monetary mechanisms such as Finland’s Metso Programme which pays private forest owners to keep some of their lands for biodiversity purposes. In the EU, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) helps provide financial support for forests and forest management through national Rural Development Programmes, though the use of these funds has not been achieved to their fullest extent, perhaps due to a lack of awareness of how to apply or implement forest-based adaptation activities. From 2014 to 2020, 27% of these CAP forestry measures went to afforestation.

Unfortunately, we cannot simply hope that 3 billion trees will be planted by pure goodwill and altruism – as Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica’s minister for the environment and energy, acknowledged in relation to Costa Rica’s afforestation approach: “we have learned that the pocket is the quickest way to the heart ”. Instead, this policy must be paired with robust financial support, aid and access.

Is there a risk of greenwashing in all of this? 

Tree planting has become perceived as an easy solution to climate change due to its carbon sequestration potential – it has become the token action in order to offset carbon emissions through offset schemes, a form of commercialised climate mitigation which has been often awarded the label of greenwashing. Oil and gas companies have invested in tree-planting to offset emissions, such as Total announcing a $100 million investment in 2019. Tree-planting has been picked up by politicians across the political spectrum due to its feasibility, with even right-wing U.S. former president Donald Trump supporting the proposition of a ‘Trillion Trees Act’. This republican move was recognised as a way to satisfy voter demand for climate action without having to curtail emissions and the interests of the fossil fuel lobby. This encapsulates the key issue at hand: planting trees and carbon sequestration shouldn’t be a replacement for mitigation measures and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, Greenpeace described this EU initiative as simply “feel good”, that overall “lack(s) real action to restore forests and expand clean energy”, representative of “not only (…) a dangerous distraction from the climate crisis, but represents logging industry greenwashing.” Principally, Sini Eräjää, Greenpeace EU forest campaigner, summarised it as: “the potential climate and biodiversity benefits to planting trees are limited, but the risks of greenwashing are endless“. Overall, it is clear, the 3 billion trees pledge should be understood as one policy tool amongst many to promote tree planting and help Europe’s climate and biodiversity issues. Indeed, it is simply one of the measures of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.

To plant or not to plant?

2022 has ended, leaving 7 years for the implementation of the 3 billion trees goal and yet the structure in place to support it and allow for its long-term success seems to be lacking. Overall, as was mentioned in reaction to the press release for the 3 Billion Trees Pledge, “in terms of numbers alone, the pledge has raised eyebrows”. 3 billion trees is a very ambitious goal, and we are currently only a tiny fraction of the way there. Hopefully the remaining 2.993 billion trees to be planted will indeed be done with the right trees in the right place with the right support.

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3 Billion Trees – Can the EU do it? ​

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Introducing Vladislava
Showcasing the Unheard

I think that we will definitely cope with climate change, simply because we have no other choice.

Meet Vlada, an 18 years old activist from St. Petersburg, Russia. Vlada coordinates Fridays for Future Russia and is especially interested in the melting of permafrost in Russia, the fate of indigenous peoples, ecofeminism, food security, and a just transition. She studies ecology at a Russian state university and dreams of doing a master’s degree in climate change in Europe, as this subject is not available anywhere in Russia.

Vlada started to learn about the problem of climate change at the age of 16 and soon after started her digital climate action campaigns. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, she understood the importance of this topic. As an activist in Russia, however, there are serious security concerns, which is why she was reluctant to start big activism at first. But then Vlada got to know Arshak Makichyan and other climate activists in Russia, whose examples inspired her to not be afraid and fight for our planet and future. The example of Arshak’s action, who organised a school strike for the climate every Friday for more than 40 weeks, as well as that of other activists shows how great a role young climate activists play in Russia. Unfortunately, they have to reckon with the consequences of their actions, which can even lead to them being sent to prison, as happened to Arshak, who ended up there for a few days.

Another main problem Vlada is faced with in her activism is the negative propaganda against FFF from Russia.

“People believe in propaganda that often insults us or writes pseudo-scientific articles, and many people are skeptical of us.”

The amount of hate, these obstacles and difficulties led to a lot of people leaving the Fridays For Future movement – they are burnt out and lack the energy to continue fighting. And the pandemic has not helped: since 2020, campaigning has become even more difficult. Unapproved protests of more than one person are generally forbidden, as are most forms of protest before the age of 18.
Vlada told us: “Even a single picket is illegal. We live in the absence of freedom of speech, and some activists of our movement have already been repressed. Therefore, each of our actions must be carefully considered and all consequences calculated, which is why our work is now almost paralyzed.”

A key aspect of Vlada’s activism is related to information sharing, as she believes that the things she reads and learns should also be shared with others. Especially in Russia, where people do not know much about climate change because there is barely any education about it in schools, this is crucial. At FFF, she reports that a multitude of topics has been discussed in the past, but she wants to shift focus to local topics in Russia now.

The topics she thinks are especially relevant are the consequences of Russian colonialism, how fossil fuel companies are destroying indigenous lands, and how the very existence of these peoples is threatened due to climate change. She hopes that by focusing on topics close to their hearts, more Russians will get involved and overcome their fears of acting.

“(…) in my opinion, it makes sense to talk more about the problems and consequences of the climate crisis specifically for Russia – but this doesn’t mean that we will engage in isolationism and ignore world problems. It’s just that what is happening in Russia is more closely perceived by our citizens, and we need to use this fact.”

To achieve a better world, Vlada sees negotiation as a key step to be taken. 

“It's terrible that adults still resolve their conflicts with weapons and murder. It shouldn't be like this, we need solidarity and the ability to unite.”

Furthermore, she states the importance of not buying fossil fuels from autocracies and dictatorships. She says the price to pay for “cheap” fossil fuels has now become apparent and that renewable energy sources can be seen as a guarantee of peace and justice.

The ongoing war on Ukraine is a very important topic for Vlada and with its onset, she has shifted the focus of her activism to anti-war but was not able to tell us more about it due to security concerns.

Vlada told us how drastically the war has changed her perspective:
“In the past, I used to see it as my goal to do everything to accelerate Russia’s compliance with the terms of the Paris Agreement and climate adaptation. But now, after the start of the war, I don’t know what my future and the future of Russia will be like. I want the war to end as soon as possible. I want all those responsible to be punished. I want to live in peace and tranquility, not in fear of repression and default.”

Despite everything that is happening, Vlada continues to be optimistic. She says:
“I think that we will definitely cope with climate change, simply because we have no other choice. It will be a very difficult path, but in the end, goodness and freedom will win. There are a lot of brave, strong and honest people in the world who are ready to fight for our common future. And while they exist, I believe in victory over all problems. (..) You may experience pain and anxiety about everything that happens in the world, especially if your country is at war or repressions. But I know that while we fight, goodness will live at least in our hearts, and in the end we will be able to spread it to the whole world. Some situations may seem hopeless, but we are alive, and freedom is alive with us. I hug everyone who is feeling bad now, who has lost motivation to fight for our future. Goodness will win, and goodness is you.”

Other interviews

Introducing Vladislava | Showcasing the Unheard

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