The development of a Tesla gigafactory near Berlin has led to the felling of approximately 500,000 trees, according to satellite analysis by the environmental intelligence company Kayrros.
The construction of this German factory has sparked significant controversy, igniting protests and a broader debate about the trade-offs required for advancing a green economy.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, criticised local police for allowing what he described as “leftwing protesters” to disrupt operations.
Satellite data reveals that 329 hectares (813 acres) of forest were cleared at the site between March 2020 and May 2023. This extensive deforestation has drawn strong opposition, particularly from climate activists who have protested against the factory’s expansion. Since May, some activists have occupied treehouses near the site, and in one instance, a group set fire to an electricity pylon, halting production for several days in March.
Karolina Drzewo, a spokesperson for the campaign alliance Turn Off Tesla’s Tap, stated that the analysis highlights how Tesla’s electric vehicle production has contributed to local environmental destruction and global ecological harm through metal mining.
“In one of the driest regions in Germany, too much of the environment has already been destroyed,” she said. “An expansion and thus even more destruction of forests and endangerment of the protected drinking water area must be prevented.”
Tesla declined to comment on these allegations.
Antoine Halff, the chief analyst at Kayrros, said: “The Tesla factory in Germany has led to quite a bit of cutting down of trees. Of course, it has to be put in perspective, against the benefit of replacing internal combustion engine cars with electric vehicles.”
Kayrros estimates that the felled trees represented approximately 13,000 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the annual emissions of 2,800 average internal combustion engine cars in the United States.
“So that’s a fraction of the number of the electric cars that Tesla produces and sells every quarter,” he said. “You always have trade-offs, so you need to be aware of what the terms of the trade-off are.”
In July, Brandenburg state’s environment ministry approved a plan to expand the Tesla plant, doubling its production capacity to 1 million cars per year.
The factory, which also produces millions of battery cells, has been the site of numerous environmental incidents, including leaks and spills of diesel fuel, paint, and aluminium.
While Tesla did not initially respond to these reports, the company later acknowledged that several incidents had occurred during both the construction and operational phases. Tesla maintained that none of these incidents caused environmental damage, and corrective measures were implemented when necessary.
Kayrros uses optical images from the Sentinel-2 satellite, which have a 10-meter resolution, to measure deforestation. This data is processed automatically and verified by remote-sensing experts. The company is developing its deforestation detection tool to assist businesses in complying with upcoming EU deforestation regulations, set to take effect in 2025, and to monitor forests used as carbon offsets in the voluntary carbon market.
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