Ghost Forest takes root
An art installation of ten felled tree stumps and buttress roots is on display in Trafalagar Square. With 1.5 acres of rainforest lost every second, Angela Palmer created the display to inspire and incite debate on the problem and its impact on climate change.
Trafalgar Square was chosen because of Nelson's Column: standing at 50 metres tall, the column is the same height as the trees would have stood at. Palmer planned to display them upright until she saw the visual impact of the roots and realised "it was like seeing the nerve endings of the planet". Instead, laser beams shine to indicate where the trees would have reached.
On display until 22 November, the stumps were sourced from the Suhama forest reserve in Western Ghana from an ethically-aware logging company.
Experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Palmer's next stop with her trees is Copenhagen (7 to 18 December), where world leaders will meet at the UN Cop15 Climate Change Conference.
