An award-winning music festival in Serbia called EXIT has convinced the government to plant 1 billion trees to curb the climate crisis. The Serbian government adopted EXIT’s green initiative, entitled Green Я:Evolution, after a nationwide public call for mass reforestation. The initiative aims to increase Serbia’s forest cover by roughly 50%.
Over the next coming years, thousands of volunteers will come together to help plant 1 billion trees in Serbia. “We hope to see the universities and high schools, army, and police personnel, all joining the thousands of volunteers,” said the CEO and founder of EXIT, Dušan Kovačević.
Kovačević added:
However, our true aim is a global one – we want to do our part in building a worldwide coalition that will bring Earth forestation from 30 to 40% of the total planet land surface. This could be one of the key factors in order to reach the global goal for Net Zero Co2 emissions by 2050.
EXIT Music Festival
EXIT festival, well known for its electronic dance music, originated 20 years ago as a youth movement for freedom and peace in Serbia and the Balkans. Now, its one of the biggest festivals in Europe and has won the ‘Best Major Festival award‘ twice, at the European Festivals Awards. In 2019, the festival saw 200,000 people.
EXIT is committed to taking action when it comes to sustainability. From July 9th – 12th, Exit will host its 2020 anniversary edition at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad. The festival will live stream the concerts as well as footage with environmental videos and messages. Audiences around the world can watch and will have the opportunity to donate to chosen eco-organizations through the stream, entitled “LifeStream.”
Serbia’s Prime Minister, Ana Brnabić, states that the nation is devoted to fighting the climate emergency and hopes “to accomplish this very ambitious goal,” with support from EU partners.
Are Planting Trees The Best Option To Store Carbon?
While reforestation is claimed to be scientifically proven to be the most simple and effective way to curb climate change, some would argue. In 2019, IPCC reported that planting trees may not be the most effective solution. Evidently, it would be more beneficial to invest in lands to fill decaying plant matter which act as carbon sinks, such as peatlands or swampy marshlands.
Trees are efficient at sequestering carbon from the air, but they don’t last forever. Marshlands are actually the most significant natural carbon store and are capable of trapping carbon for centuries.
The Global Landscape Forum wrote in a recent tweet that “peatlands hold more than twice as much carbon as the world’s forests do.” With that said, demands for peatlands to be involved in global conservation plans are increasing.
