Any image of Christmas is incomplete without the thought of a tree decorated with gifts covered with Christmas. However, for many, choosing between a real Christmas tree or a dummy can be of some concern.
There is an ongoing debate over whether the environment is better for the environment every year than the homes that use the same plastic tree annually. Here, the National speaks to an ecologist and finally stops the debate.
Carbon footprint from importing tree
The answer in many countries is that a real tree is the best option and the answer is not so straightforward in the UAE. “When you evaluate the consistency of a Christmas tree, it is important to evaluate the source of the tree,” said Ivano Ianelli, senior adviser for the consistency of the Emirates Global Aluminum. But if you have a synthetic tree from recycled materials, it is even better in this part of the world.
In the rest of the world, the question of which type of tree is very stable is easily answered. A Greenpeace Report from 2020, fake plastic trees are often made from PVC, which is very difficult to recycle and often end in landscapes.
From there they release greenhouse gases and pollute the environmental systems by releasing chemicals. They are usually manufactured in factories abroad and imported to countries, which increases their carbon footprint. Real trees are considered to be very stable because they can absorb more carbon dioxide and make compost at the end of their use.
However, the same statement issued a warning that real trees could come with a negative, especially if they were not obtained from the right place. Many Christmas tree farms use pesticides, some of which are prohibited from the use of horticulture in many countries.
Real trees that end up in terrain often produce methane gas, which is said to be 25 times more powerful as greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Another point against real trees is that they can only be used once in this region, which means that fake trees have more durability.
“The real thing is more…. Halima Jumani, founder and chief executive of Gibson e-commerce, said that stability is a key factor for the company and its customers.”
As in the previous years, we can arrange to collect trees from homes to use other food waste in our composting machine, which will then sell organic fertilizer on our website.