DECISIONS

What will our forest look like in 2070?

The economist Ulrike Hermann was asked what comes to her mind when she thinks about the future? 

She replied: "What really depresses me is that the forest will not survive.

That we will lose the visual home of our childhood."

A fierce dispute has broken out over the right way to deal with this threat, dividing politics and science into two camps.

The installation was created in a wooded area of 20,000m2 at the Schemerlicht Festival. 

68 ring lights were installed in the forest. The forest disappeared in the darkness.

Only red glowing tree stumps remained. The installation collects data on which tree populations in Europe will have disappeared by 2070.

Around 1/3 of the earth's surface consists of forest. However, current developments show that the worldwide extinction of forests can no longer be stopped. 50% of all tree species in Europe will disappear in the coming years (ONF).

Forests are not only a source of oxygen, but also store CO2. The tree stores this until it dies. As soon as it decomposes into fertile soil, the CO2 is released.

This cycle is a natural phenomenon. However, recent forest fires and the consequences of global warming have accelerated the speed of this cycle.

As CO2 levels in the atmosphere are already high, every dying tree poses an additional threat to humans.

A fierce dispute has broken out over the right way to deal with this threat, dividing politicians and scientists into two camps:

One side calls for the dying forest to be cut down immediately before it releases its CO2. More resistant tree species should be planted.

The other camp assumes that only the soil from dead trees can be the basis for a resilient forest of the future. 

In a world that has to deal with the rapid reactions of climate change, it has become more difficult to make the right decisions. The complexity of the impacts is increasing.

The political fear of jeopardizing the next term in office is often too great.