I am a 14-year-old girl from the Bay Area trying to do my part to help fight against climate change! I’ve launched a website (www.100treespercar.org to inform people about climate change and the harmful impact of emissions from cars, trucks and deforestation, and to urge them to sign a petition on Change.org .

Please sign this petition to join me in asking local auto dealerships (including Toyota, Ford, GM, Lexus, Subaru, and others), to commit to donating 100 dollars to the Arbor Day Foundation for each car or truck sold or leased this next year, and hopefully many years to come. This commitment would allow the Arbor Day Foundation to plant an additional 100 trees for every car or truck sold or leased, which would be a step in the right direction in the battle against climate change.

We know that motor vehicles emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, and cause worldwide temperatures to rise. According to the EPA, transportation accounts for almost 30 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. And cars and trucks are responsible for nearly 75% of those emissions. Worldwide, road transport accounts for over 15% of total CO2 emissions. 

Deforestation also causes climate change. Tropical deforestation alone contributes about 20% of annual global greenhouse gas. While rainforests once covered 14% of the Earth’s land surface, they now cover less than 5%. Every day, more than 200,000 acres of rainforest are burned. That means that more than 150 acres are lost every minute, every day, which adds up to 78 million acres of forest lost every year. At that rate, the remaining rainforests could be destroyed in less than 40 years. 

The combination of such rapid deforestation and high vehicle emissions is dangerous. Trees are essential to human and environmental health. They give off oxygen that we need to breathe and they help reduce air pollution. One mature tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year and one acre of forest is needed to absorb twice the CO2 produced by the average car's mileage each year. So, in order to counterbalance the damaging emissions from cars and deforestation, we need to plant many, many trees every year. 

The campaign for 100 Trees Per Car is designed to help. Larger and more numerous forests will not only reduce greenhouse gases, but restore and create habitat for many endangered species and reduce the amount of stormwater runoff, which reduces erosion and pollution in our waterways. Forests can also help reduce the spread of zoonotic disease, which, as we have all learned this past year, is critically important.

By participating in the 100 Trees Per Car campaign, and asking local car dealerships to support reforestation efforts and offset the greenhouse gas emissions that cars produce, you can make a difference. Please join me. We don’t have time to waste. Even though more electric vehicles are being sold, gas powered engines will remain more numerous for years to come. 

So, please sign your name below and join the 100 Trees Per Car campaign - for you, for all of us, and for the world!

Ruby K.