this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2023
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A trillion? Do they know how many trees that is, and how long that would take?
Conservatives do not believe in math or science... So, no.
I think many Republicans have always had the opinion of "we will just fix it when or if it becomes a problem", despite the fact that most studies (and common sense) has shown that it will be harder and harder (and more expensive) the longer we wait, or possibly not fixable at all.
So to answer your question: No, they have no fucking clue how long it will take or how much it will cost to plant 1 trillion trees.
It would take much longer for the trees to become effective carbon capture utilities than the destruction caused by coal mines and fossil fuels the Rs would likely push alongside their newfound climate wisdom.
Hybrid willows and poplars grow about 8ft per year in ideal conditions.
Trees are expensive, and planting trees means you can hire workers to perform back breaking work for little pay. It's surprising that republicans are just now realizing that they can grift this to hell and back.
Most trees are not expensive if you plant them from seed or buy them as a small sapling.
Source: I buy/grow a lot of trees and browse a lot of nurseries.
Sure. But whatever cost it is times a trillion is a lot, and there's a multiplicative effect. The value of the trees will compound over time, and very likely private entities will be able to harvest those trees for sale. A non zero amount of any proceeds will eventually make their way into politicians' donations.