Want to keep up with COP26? Try switching to this search engine, which plants trees as you browse (and has Blackpink’s approval)

COP26 – the most significant event of the year for combatting climate change – is currently taking place in Glasgow. 

Proving that it’s a truly global occasion, K-Pop legends Blackpink tuned into the conference today (Tues 2 Nov 21), to speak to world leaders about sticking to their pledges on reducing carbon emissions. 

The girlband have long been using their platform to raise awareness of climate change, and one of their recommendations to their fans is to use Ecosia, a search engine which uses its profits to plant trees. 

Ecosia are also in attendance at COP26, with the brand tweeting, “It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness for natural solutions to the climate crisis, like tree planting and regenerative farming. Ding ding ding! It’s also where we raise our voice about the fact that we’re in a CLIMATE EMERGENCY and politicians should start acting like it.”

They also added that they’ve got exciting things planned for COP26, including  plant trees in Glasgow and Edinburgh, joining the climate march, and hosting a panel with Pantagonia Europe to discuss how businesses can start centring the planet over profit. 

So, what exactly is Ecosia? 

Well, imagine if spending time on your phone or laptop meant that you were contributing to trees being planted somewhere in the world. In fact, imagine if those trees not only helped absorb CO2 but also provided the farmers planting them with an income and helped rebuild the local ecosystem. This is exactly what would be happening if you switched from your favourite search engine – that may or may not rhyme with Boogle – to Ecosia.

Ecosia is a search engine founded by Berlin-based entrepreneur Christian Kroll in 2009. After travelling in South America and Nepal following his degree in Business Administration, Kroll was struck with how rife poverty and deforestation was globally, and realised trees were a very simple solution: