Perhaps the current approach is wrong? We think about how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere, but perhaps we should be thinking about how to produce more oxygen? Forests are, after all, considered the planet's lungs. Should we be planting more forests rather than felling them to replace plastic?

Latvian law does not allow for a forest to be felled and not regenerated. And our forests must not be compared to the tropical rainforests of Brazil, where deforestation occurs – the trees are felled and the forest is not regenerated. In the Latvian context, where forest area already exceeds 50% of the country's territory, greater importance should be placed on the health, resilience and productivity of forest stands.

New forest stands sequester CO2 most rapidly while growing, whereas old-growth stands, which contain large-dimension trees, have a greater volume of stored carbon. Wood products are an additional important carbon store. A wooden table and chair preserve it for the duration of their lifespan. In our home, for example, we have a grandfather's table from the Ulmanis era. As long as I do not decide to put it in the stove, it will keep storing carbon – for about 90 years now.