Why not put Spain's 2 million welfare recipients to work reforesting?
Putting 2 million welfare recipients to work reforesting would cost 44 billion a year. Why isn't it done? An analysis of the debate.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Reforesting with welfare recipients: the hidden 44-billion-a-year cost
Turning Spain's two million benefit recipients into forestry brigades sounds like common sense. However, a quick calculation puts numbers on the utopia: accommodation, food, equipment and supervision would push the cost to 44 billion euros a year, based on estimates of 100 euros per person per day. The state, broke, cannot afford it.
The back-of-the-envelope math nobody wants to do
Planting trees is not just letting people loose with hoes. It requires forestry technicians, machinery, nurseries, maintenance and surveillance. With 2 million forced workers, the logistics become a budget black hole. At 100 euros per person per day over 220 working days, the result far exceeds what is currently spent on benefits. The argument backfires on those who back the measure without doing the math.
The political interest in doing nothing
Behind the inaction lies an electoral calculation: welfare recipients are captive voters. Forcing them to work wears down the government and generates ethnic and productivity conflicts, as experience with community work schemes shows. Moreover, reforestation clashes with the climate narrative: if trees capture CO2, the justification for restricting cars and raising taxes deflates.
The ecological alternative: doing nothing
From an ecological point of view, forests regenerate on their own. Mass plantations, such as those carried out under Franco's regime (3 million hectares planted between 1940 and 1975), are now considered a fire hazard due to their poor planning. Advocates of natural succession argue that intervening only accelerates degradation.
The question left hanging: if they cannot be put to reforesting, what to do with two million people receiving a benefit with no obligation in return? For now, the answer is nothing: it is cheaper to keep them idle.
Related debates in the forum
Turning Spain's two million benefit recipients into forestry brigades sounds like common sense. However, a quick calculation puts numbers on the utopia: accommodation, food, equipment and supervision would push the cost to 44 billion euros a year, based on estimates of 100 euros per person per day. The state, broke, cannot afford it.
The back-of-the-envelope math nobody wants to do
Planting trees is not just letting people loose with hoes. It requires forestry technicians, machinery, nurseries, maintenance and surveillance. With 2 million forced workers, the logistics become a budget black hole. At 100 euros per person per day over 220 working days, the result far exceeds what is currently spent on benefits. The argument backfires on those who back the measure without doing the math.
The political interest in doing nothing
Behind the inaction lies an electoral calculation: welfare recipients are captive voters. Forcing them to work wears down the government and generates ethnic and productivity conflicts, as experience with community work schemes shows. Moreover, reforestation clashes with the climate narrative: if trees capture CO2, the justification for restricting cars and raising taxes deflates.
The ecological alternative: doing nothing
From an ecological point of view, forests regenerate on their own. Mass plantations, such as those carried out under Franco's regime (3 million hectares planted between 1940 and 1975), are now considered a fire hazard due to their poor planning. Advocates of natural succession argue that intervening only accelerates degradation.
The question left hanging: if they cannot be put to reforesting, what to do with two million people receiving a benefit with no obligation in return? For now, the answer is nothing: it is cheaper to keep them idle.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (59 replies).
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