Tesla's Actions in Germany Felling Trees and Reforestation Efforts

TapTechNews August 25th news, during the construction process of Tesla's Gigafactory in Germany, it is said that about 500,000 trees were felled, resulting in an increase of 13,000 tons of carbon emissions. In response, Tesla stated that as part of a large-scale reforestation plan, the company planted more than 1 million trees in 2024.

The report of environmental agency Kayrros shows that from 2020 to May 2023 (the end of the factory construction), Tesla felled 813 acres (TapTechNews note: approximately 329.27 hectares) of forest, and the resulting increase in carbon emissions is equivalent to an internal combustion engine car traveling 53 million kilometers, or 3,000 cars traveling for a whole year.

Tesla's German factory has been deeply controversial in recent years. Last month, the local Ministry of Environment approved a plan to expand the factory scale and double its output to 1 million cars per year, triggering new protests. In May this year, nearly 800 protesters stormed the factory.

Tesla said that in 2024 it has planted more than 1 million trees in Germany to make up for the felled trees. In a video released by Tesla in July, the company has replanted trees on an area equivalent to 450 football fields, most of which are deciduous trees, including hardwood, cherry, hornbeam, and linden.

Some people think that the harmful carbon dioxide absorbed by 1 million new trees will not be as much as that of 500,000 adult trees, but at least Tesla is trying to make up for the damage it has caused.