@davidgerard you missed the chance to mention that "planting trees" is itself a scam.

Know what happens if you take a field of dirt and wait, in most regions of the world? Grasses grow, then shrubs, and finally trees. In some places depending on soil nutrients, fire regimes, water availability, etc., you might find that grasses or shrubs dominate long-term, but they often store just as much carbon as a forest would.

So if someone says they're "planting trees" to help the environment, you should always ask "how, specifically, is that supposed to help the environment?" What trees are you planting, on what land, and what's going to happen to those trees in 50 or 100 years?

Here's a article that digs into more details:

https://www.ecoenclose.com/blog/tree-planting-initiatives-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Is true that in some very specific situations planting trees can be a useful part of a restoration program, but in general programs that count the number of trees planted or which donate money towards "planting trees" should be viewed with suspicion.