How 50 million trees have changed the world

The times we live in can feel pretty bleak but we believe better days are on the way because there's her and him and them and you. By switching search engines from Google to Ecosia people across the world have planted 50 million trees and these trees have absorbed 2.5 million tons of toxic CO2 from our atmosphere. But they are doing so much more. Ecosia users have planted a living sanctuary for those of us who have no place left to go. In Madagascar, Brazil and Uganda we're planting trees to reconnect isolated patches of forest. These living bridges let lemurs, chimpanzees and jaguars forage for food and search for mates without having to cross dangerous human territory. But the 50 million trees Ecosia users have planted are not just restoring the forests we've lost, they're also protecting the ones that we can't afford to lose. In Borneo we've planted a wall of trees around Mount Saran to help prevent 25,000 hectares of pristine orangutan habitat from being turned into a sterile palm oil model. And the native fruit and nut trees we plant there as well as in Morocco and Haiti provide a steady income to the farmers who care for them and an enduring shelter for those who find refuge in their branches. Climate change isn't just affecting wildlife. Time and again the farmers we work with around the world are telling us that the seasons are out of sync. That harvests are less reliable and that providing for a family is harder than it used to be. There's something else people are telling us. Trees are restoring water supplies and soil fertility. They are tempering winds and floods and they are providing more dependable diverse and plentiful harvests. On Makata's farm in northern Ghana they are a vital source of fruit and shea nuts. Trees Mame has grown around her field in Senegal create a shady microclimate to protect her okra and peppers from dry winds and hungry animals. In Uganda they replenish Joram's well with clean water. In southern Spain Belen and Leo's trees have transformed a barren desert into fertile soil. Makata, Mame, Joram, Belen and Leo and all the other farmers we work with in Colombia, Nicaragua, Tanzania, Kenya and Burkina Faso are living proof that conservation and agriculture can coexist. We never have to choose between forests and fields. Together 50 million trees can cool our planet and every single one of them has the power to change lives. By restoring water supplies, revitalizing degraded soil and protecting Ecosia's forests are increasing harvests and in some cases even doubling them. More food means better health and smallholder farmers can sell their surplus to support themselves and their families. Anmas can pay for her children's school fees in Dila, Ethiopia. On the banks of the Daka River in Ghana Paul can take care of his elders. Meanwhile in the Sahel region of Senegal Mr. and Mrs. Sec now have the means to cover their family's medical bills. High in the Peruvian Andes Felipe can start saving money. While further inland Oswaldo can afford to transition away from the narcotics trade and build a sustainable coffee and cacao plantation that brings peace to the community. To maintain this cycle of positive change Ecosia's local partners are teaching the next generation how vital trees are to their livelihoods. How throughout the world women and youth are taking the lead in reforesting their lands and how trees represent our last and only chance of preventing catastrophic climate change. When the world forgets this our outlook can seem bleak but we believe that by leading the way as a tree planting, purpose-driven, transparent, privacy focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit company better times are on the way because there's her and him and them and you.