Will trees save the planet? That is the promise made by governments, the logging industry and various environmental organizations. As deforestation accelerates and CO2 emissions hit record highs, planting trees is touted as a common-sense solution to the ecological crisis. But is it really that simple?

In TREEWASHING: THE PLANTING ILLUSION, François-Xavier Drouet takes his investigation into this crucial issue across five countries: France, Spain, Portugal, Congo, and Brazil, to expose the economic and political interests driving these reforestation campaigns. In Brazil, he examines how eucalyptus plantations grown for pulp and biofuel are draining water tables and displacing native species. In Portugal, the fast-growing, water-hungry trees favored by industry have come at the expense of rural communities — some evicted from their land, others directly endangered by wildfires. Drouet also turns a critical eye on the carbon-offset market, revealing unreliable accounting methods and inflated claims about how much these programs accomplish.

By tracing the hidden costs of industrial reforestation — ecological, social, and economic — TREEWASHING: THE PLANTING ILLUSION calls for a more critical look at the "plant now, ask questions later" approach and urges caution towards what most people assume is an easy way to combat climate change.

Select Accolades

• Pariscience Festival, France 2025