Abstract
1t.org exists to connect, empower and mobilize a global reforestation community of millions, unleashing their potential to act at an unprecedented scale and speed, to ensure the conservation and restoration of one trillion trees within this decade. 1t.org is a partnership
1t.org is a World Economic Forum initiative, designed to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by UNEP and FAO. 1t.org offers a platform for leading governments, businesses, civil society and ecopreneurs committed to serving the global trillion trees community.
With the launch of our U.S. regional chapter, U.S. companies, nonprofits, governments, academics, and grassroots organizations can now sign-up to help reforest the country.
The Trillion Trees Challenge via UpLink, a digital platform to crowdsource top innovations for the Sustainable Development Goals, is a global call for solutions, initiatives, fresh perspectives and ideas to help meet the trillion trees goal.
1t.org will connect reforestation champions at the grassroots level with resources, opportunities and high-level leaders in science, technology, business, policy and finance — creating unprecedented access and connectivity within a single, purpose-driven digital space.
1t.org will be the first-of-its-kind online community for the reforestation agenda, enabling more effective dialogue and collaboration to support successful and exponential reforestation action on the ground.
What is the role of trees and forests for meeting global climate goals?
Nature based solutions (NBS) are an important part of solving the global climate crisis, but they are not a silver bullet.
According to the 2019 IPCC Special Report, better land management can contribute to tackling climate change, including through so called nature-based solutions (NBS) that lock up carbon in the world’s forests, grasslands and wetlands. Latest science suggests that NBS can provide up to one-third of the emissions reductions required by 2030 to meet the Paris Agreement targets.
The IPCC is however equally clear on NBS not being a silver bullet and that emission reductions from all sectors is essential for meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. Indeed, to be effective climate solutions, NBS such as forest restoration, forest conservation, reforestation or natural regeneration need to be part of a broader strategy to protect nature and tackle climate change.
What role can technology play?
The application of new technologies can drive significant improvements in the understanding of reforestation and restoration potential, the effectiveness and efficiency of action and monitoring of programs on the ground, and other critical aspects related to the goals of 1t.org. Consequently, 1t.org embraces the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) as part of the evolving solution space for restoring, conserving andgrowing one trillion trees by 2030. For example, the application of new technologies can unlock unprecedented positive impact on the following areas:●Mapping and Monitoring: Remoting sensing and satellite imagery, coupled with artificial intelligence andmachine learning, are now opening up unprecedented opportunities for “precision forestry”, mapping of restoration and reforestation potential as well as assessing and monitoring tree and soil carbon sequestration over time in a radically more effective and efficient way.●Mobilizingfinance: platform solutions and crowdfunding are proven effective solutions for engaging millions of retail and institutional investors in reforestation and restoration initiatives. Platforms such as AntForests, Plant-for-the-Planet and others are proving the unprecedented potential of App-based crowdfunding for reaching millions of investors and unlocking millions of investments in a short time. Also, DLT applications can help build trusted markets and improve the bankability ofactors with limited access to the traditional banking system.●Connecting people:Mobilizingand empowering millions of grassroots champions is one of the core goals of 1t.org. A new digital collaboration platform UpLink, co-developed by the World Economic, Salesforce, Microsoft and Deloit willencourage and enable millions more grassroots reforestation champions to connect, share opportunities and knowledge, resources and tools for forest restoration, reforestation and conservation.●At scale tree planting: Large-scale reforestation requires the participation of masses, as shown by various examples, such as the 23 million Ethiopians planting350 million trees in one day. Mass-participation and continued engagement of people to nurture and grow trees is indispensable. To increase the speed of planting and reach difficult to access landscapes, technologies such as seed-firing drones can in some special cases complement human-powered actions and radically increase the number of seeds planted in a short amountof time. Drones can for example also be an effective tool for monitoring canopy cover
Read the FAQ , find out What is the role of trees and forests for meeting global climate goals?