Adapting the consensus to a new reality
In climate science, one truth is often overlooked: reducing emissions is no longer enough. To limit climate change and avoid catastrophic tipping points, we must also remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) already in the atmosphere.
For decades, the scientific consensus rightly prioritized emission reduction as the most urgent task. But as the world failed to cut emissions fast enough—and atmospheric CO₂ continued to climb—carbon removal has become not just important, but essential.
Yet despite this growing necessity, carbon removal remains widely misunderstoo, trapped in a lagging consensus and distorted by years of association with greenwashing. This has created a gap between what science now demands and how markets and policy are responding. Yet the reality is clear: we cannot solve climate change without large-scale CO₂ removal.
Without this, even the most ambitious emission reductions will fall short.
This is why Tree-Nation exists.
The urgency of climate breakdown
We’ve already crossed the 1.5°C threshold, earlier than expected. Climate change is no longer abstract—it’s accelerating, visible, and devastating:
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Intensified floods, wildfires, and hurricanes
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Up to 1 billion climate refugees by 2050
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A projected 14% decline in global GDP
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Entire ecosystems collapsing
Without rapid carbon removal, these risks compound. The longer CO₂ stays in the atmosphere, the worse the consequences.
“Climate breakdown” refers to the destabilization and failure of Earth's natural systems due to excessive warming—crossing thresholds that can lead to irreversible changes in climate, ecosystems, and human societies.
Emission reduction vs. carbon removal
Traditionally, the world has followed the logic of "reduce first, remove later." This made sense when we had time. But that window is gone.
Emission reduction stops new greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere. It’s essential—but slow, complex, and often expensive to scale. Companies face huge barriers: supply chains, legacy infrastructure, and organizational inertia.
Carbon removal goes after the CO₂ already causing damage. This includes planting trees, restoring ecosystems, and deploying engineered solutions. It's the only way to clean up the excess.
In fact we need both. But in today’s climate emergency, waiting to reduce before we start removing is no longer viable. We must do both, in parallel—and we must do it now.
Tree-Nation believes in a bold shift: start removing immediately, while accelerating reduction. This twin-track strategy buys us time, unlocks cultural momentum, and gets results faster.
How Tree-Nation fits in
At Tree-Nation, we’re not just planting trees. We’re building carbon removal infrastructure for the planet. Our target: 1 trillion trees planted and protected by 2050.
This means:
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Reversing deforestation
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Restoring degraded lands
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Promoting agroforestry as a regenerative solution
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Ensuring long-term permanence of carbon in ecosystems
The IPCC now estimates that 100–150 GtCO₂ must be removed by 2050, and 400–1,000 GtCO₂ by 2100, to keep warming within safe limits.
With the Tree-Nation project we aim to tackle a big part of it:
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Remove 50 GtCO₂ by 2050 (~11.4% of projected net emissions 2025–2050)
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Reach 300 GtCO₂ removed by 2075, equal to ~37% of projected net emissions over that period
Carbon modeling
Our approach is grounded in carbon modeling and supported by the latest climate data.
The table below summarizes the trajectory of CO₂ emissions, natural removal by land and oceans, and the critical role of reforestation in this equation:
PPM: refers to CO₂ parts per million in the atmosphere. Shows PPM at End of the period.
Cumulative Net Emissions: show the carbon load that remains in the atmosphere and drives global warming.
1T Trees (GtCO₂ Removed): cumulative emissions removed by 1 trillion trees reforestation effort.
Missing the forest for the trees:
Most people still equate climate action with reducing emissions (the red line in our model). But the real challenge, and elephant in the room, is the massive backlog of CO₂ to capture (yellow section).
Note: This graph does not take into account past emissions already released into the atmosphere, only emissions we need to remove from today onwards!
🔥 Framing a climate emergency response
Act now—because reducing isn’t enough
We need to remove carbon, not just reduce it. Help us reforest the planet and reverse climate breakdown.
Start removing carbon today with the climate subscription or with our other tree planting services.