A group of activists have been protesting since May 2024 against the installation and expansion of TESLA's factory in Germany, which has cost 500.000 trees to build so far.
Kayrros , a company that analyzes satellite images using artificial intelligence, calculated the ecological footprint of TESLA's factory in Brandenburg, Germany.
According to the analysis, the company has so far cleared about 813 hectares of forest between March 2020 and May 2023, resulting in the felling of 500.000 trees.
It was not a virgin forest, as it consisted mainly of pines planted in rows, with monocultures and with busy roads around it. There are also railway lines nearby and planes take off from the nearby airport pass overhead. All this means that the area was not ideal for wildlife.
However, the plant had clear environmental impacts. Kayrros estimates that the loss of trees was equivalent to about 13.000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, or the annual emissions of nearly 3.000 natural gas cars.
Under German law, Tesla would have to replant the same number of trees lost elsewhere, but those trees would need time to grow before they yield much carbon benefit or provide high-quality habitat.
The site installation agreement also included the relocation of certain wild animals, such as ants, bats and birds, but we do not know exactly what has been done about it.
See the factory site in Brandenburg, before and after:
Tesla recently expanded its factory to double its production and plans to expand even further, eventually increasing its production capacity from 500.000 cars to 1 million cars per year.
The factory is one of six the company has around the world, making batteries and cars. Activists continue to protest the expansion today, citing the loss of even more trees, threats to local water supplies and the need to protect wildlife, along with other supply chain issues such as lithium and cobalt mining.
The car company eventually revised its plans to avoid clearing another 250 acres of forest, although it had been approved by the German authorities.
It's a reminder of the huge footprint of car manufacturing, even if EVs are far better than their outdated gas and diesel versions. Protesters argue that more funding should be invested in public transport such as trains instead.
