Sylva

As Politicians and companies rush to assuage their air-mile guilt by planting trees, Ray Harrington-Vail argues such headline-grabbing good intentions are misplaced.

Carbon offsetting was last year’s buzz phrase. In offering easy green credibility to individuals and businesses, it seemed to offer an easy way of buying public approval without requiring inconvenient sacrifices – such as cutting down on travel.

Until recently Britain’s annual leaf turn has been colourful, but muted in comparison to the New England ‘fall’. Now climate change could be set to liven things up. The Woodland Trust’s Nick Collinson and Shaun Nixon demystify the underlying science.