The debate over whether to replace traditional urban street trees with algae-filled aquariums has taken social media by storm.
The original tweet, which featured an innovative solution to replace street trees with algae, has gone viral with almost 20,000 retweets. The images, which show an aquarium full of algae on a Serbian sidewalk, highlight a scientific breakthrough in using algae to mimic some of the air-filtering properties of trees. However, while the Belgrade, Serbia-based scientists have praised the “liquid trees” and their potential applications, most Twitter users were not convinced.
The innovative solution received a lot of criticism on social media.
One user quickly criticized the idea, saying, “Why would you want a tree (home to birds and squirrels, rustles in the breeze, changes colors with the seasons, a subtle reminder that life ebbs and flows and grows and was here before us and will outlast us all) when you could have A Bus Stop Filled With Goo.”
Another echoed the point that this innovation seemed totally unnecessary, tweeting, “Just plant trees. It’s easier and cheaper and better for the environment.”
Despite the criticism, some defended the technological innovation.
One user mentioned that some people on Twitter aren’t considering the upsides. “Scientist: here’s an efficient and compact carbon storage device to help clean the atmosphere more efficiently than a tree in places where planting and maintaining trees is difficult,” they wrote.
“Twitter: just plant trees lol.”
One defender of the project pointed out that street trees aren’t always the best option due to cramped conditions and concrete sidewalks that can choke out roots.
“It’s tempting to dunk on them with ‘why not just plant trees,'” they wrote. “But they’re actually more effective at absorbing CO2 than trees and can fit in places trees can’t.”
The debate on whether traditional street trees should be replaced with artificial liquid trees is far from settled. While the “liquid trees” have potential benefits, such as producing materials for solar panels and absorbing air pollution, they may not be the best option in every scenario. Ultimately, people want natural areas in their cities and ways to eliminate air pollution.
Whether the best answer in cramped urban areas is real street trees or artificial liquid trees, it’s a debate that’s likely to continue for some time.