Carbon industry and tree monocultures face criticism over ecological impact

Environmental organizations are raising alarms regarding the expansion of the carbon industry and industrial tree monocultures. The World Rainforest Movement (WRM) has released an updated guide warning indigenous, traditional, and peasant communities about the risks posed by REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects.

Critics argue that while these projects are presented as climate solutions, they often increase territorial conflicts, threaten food sovereignty, and undermine local autonomy. The WRM notes that companies and governments have sophisticated their approaches by using new terms such as “carbon restoration,” “carbon removal,” and “carbon agriculture” to mask the same underlying logic.

Simultaneously, advocates for the World Day Against Tree Monocultures highlight how industrial plantations are replacing natural forests and destroying community territories. These monocultures degrade fertile soil and deplete water reserves, as seen with avocado plantations in Málaga, Spain, and palm oil plantations in Africa. The movement, which originated in Brazil to protect the Amazon, emphasizes that rows of orderly trees do not constitute a forest and lack the ecological complexity necessary for biodiversity.