One million trees have been pledged to ‘Trump Forest’ to offset US president’s climate change U-turn

One million trees have been pledged to a planting scheme designed to offset Donald Trump’s U-turn on climate change.

Trump Forest was set up by environmentalists last year in a bid to counter the US president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord.

The global reforestation project has just crossed the one million mark after thousands of pledges from people all around the world.

One of the three founders of the scheme, Adrien Taylor, said in a video message: “Thanks to you guys, you’ve pledged more than a million trees all over the world to try and offset that ignorance.

“In doing so, you’ve not only offset some of the carbon emissions that have come out of the Trump administration, you’ve also helped reforest communities, and you’ve helped create a small silver lining in the very dark cloud of ignorance which is in the White House.”

On its website, Trump Forest states: “US president Donald Trump doesn’t believe in the science of human-caused climate change.

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“He wants to ignore one of the greatest threats to healthy life on Earth.

“Trump wants to bring back coal despite scientists telling us we cannot afford to burn it, and despite economists telling us there’s more money to be made and more jobs available in renewable energy.

“So we’re planting a forest to soak up the extra greenhouse gases Trump plans to put into our atmosphere.

“We’re planting a global forest to offset Trump’s monumental stupidity.”

People who make a pledge to Trump Forest can plant trees anywhere in the world. After planting their tree, they send a receipt to the project so it can be added to the running total and the Trump Forest map.

The project has the goal of planting 10 billion trees to offset the carbon dioxide it says will be released into the atmosphere as a result of Mr Trump’s plans.

Co-founder Dr Dan Price, a British climate scientist, said: “One million trees is only the beginning.

“Despite new evidence of the chaos of climate change everyday, Trump continues to use his position to exacerbate the problem and prop up the fossil fuel industry.

“We really look forward to making Earth great again.”