Based on satellite analysis, it has been found that the construction of Tesla’s megafactory near Berlin resulted in the cutting down of approximately 500,000 trees.

The establishment of the German plant has sparked significant controversy, leading to widespread protests and discussions regarding the trade-offs associated with developing a green economy.

Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, criticized local police for allowing “left-wing protesters” to escape.

Satellite imagery reveals that 329 hectares (813 acres) of forest were cleared at the site between March 2020 and May 2023, as reported by environmental information company Queiroz. This amounts to around 500,000 trees.

Since May, environmental activists have been protesting the expansion plans of the Gigafactory, occupying treehouses at a nearby campsite and attempting to storm the plant. In March, one group set fire to a utility pole, resulting in the halting of production at the plant for several days.

Karolina Dujewo from the campaign alliance “Turn off the tap at Tesla” emphasized that the analysis points to the detrimental impact of the company’s electric car production on the local and global environment. She stressed the urgency to prevent increased deforestation and further environmental destruction in one of the driest regions in Germany, which also puts protected drinking water areas at risk.

Tesla did not provide a response to the request for comment.

Antoine Haruf, chief analyst at Queiroz, stated, “The Tesla factory in Germany has resulted in the loss of a substantial number of trees, which must be balanced against the advantages of transitioning from internal combustion vehicles to electric vehicles.” He highlighted that the felled trees equate to about 13,000 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to annual emissions from 2,800 people driving average internal combustion engine vehicles. Haruf emphasized the importance of acknowledging and mitigating these trade-offs.

In July, Tesla announced plans to double annual production to 1 million units at the Gigafactory in Germany, following approval from the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment.

Numerous environmental accidents have occurred at the facility, which also manufactures millions of battery cells and has experienced incidents like leaks and spills of diesel fuel, paint, and aluminum.

While Tesla initially did not respond, they later stated that several accidents occurred on the factory premises during construction and operation, but no environmental harm was caused, and corrective measures were swiftly implemented when necessary.

Deforestation monitoring is conducted by Kayrros using publicly available optical imagery from the Sentinel-2 satellite with a resolution of 10 meters. This data is automatically processed and reviewed by remote sensing experts to ensure quality.

Queiroz mentioned the development of deforestation detection tools to assist companies in compliance with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation, which aims to prohibit the import of deforestation-linked goods by early 2025. The tool can also be utilized to independently oversee forests utilized as carbon offsets in voluntary carbon markets.