Christopher Kilner, PhD

Planting trees is great, but it's not enough to fight climate change. Carbon markets let farmers earn money by planting new trees and selling "carbon credits" to companies and governments looking to offset their emissions. For coffee farmers, this can be a lifeline when coffee prices drop. But current carbon credit rules don't reward farmers for keeping their existing forests, just for planting new trees. New research from the Smithsonian warns this could lead to farmers cutting down their old trees (releasing carbon into the atmosphere) just to plant new ones that qualify for credits. In a study published today, scientists show that even if every coffee farm planted new trees, it still wouldn't make up for the carbon released by clearing mature forests. “To be clear, planting shade trees on monoculture coffee farms is a positive step, but our findings show tree planting alone can’t make up for what you lose when you remove mature shade trees," said Smithsonian ecologist Ruth Bennett. Currently, the Smithsonian's Bird Friendly coffee certification is the only program for farmers who protect existing forests. To enact real change, carbon markets need to create similar incentives to preserve mature forests and make them accessible to small farmers. Learn more: s.si.edu/4mcCuO8 Photo credit: Roshan Patel, Smithsonian