Tree planting and their role in stopping climate change and mitigating its consequences

ArabiaWeather - Since trees have great potential to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, and are often seen as a great natural technique for solving global warming, we'll talk here about the secret world of trees to better understand their impact on climate change.

Trees and their impact on climate change and carbon sequestration potential

Trees help absorb carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming , as trees and all plants use sunlight energy to carry out photosynthesis - a process that uses carbon dioxide and water to generate energy for plant cells in addition to producing oxygen, and so on. Plants reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Trees also help the soil absorb and store carbon dioxide there, and although the amount absorbed by the soil is low compared to the ocean, which absorbs about 90% of carbon emissions, trees are very important to help stop climate change. This is why the more trees, the better.

Planting trees in cities

In addition to the role of trees in reducing the percentage of carbon in the atmosphere, the issue of afforestation of cities and their outer edges is important to increase the green areas of gardens and parks within residential complexes, especially in desert areas with scarce vegetation cover, because of its positive effects to reduce pollution and reduce temperatures, The weather is gentle, and the presence of trees on the outskirts of cities protects them from dirt and dust .

How many trees does the world need to stop climate change?

In a global study published in Science (Science magazine) Many scientists have analyzed the cover state of the global tree using 80000 image satellites high resolution of Google Earth to measure the tree cover, and then blended these results with the case of soil, terrain and variables of climate and other using artificial intelligence. The result was a global map of where more trees could be planted to help stop climate change.

The results of the study found that nearly two-thirds of the land - 8.7 billion hectares - can be planted with trees. Of all that area, there are actually 5.5 billion hectares with trees and another 1.5 billion hectares representing farmland used to grow food.

This means that there is an additional 1.7 billion hectares of grassland, degraded soil or lightly planted areas that could be planted with more trees .

This huge area represents the tremendous potential that tree planting can provide in helping to halt climate change. The world needs to farm 1 billion hectares to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C by 2050.

Despite the current potential, it would take 50 to 100 years for all of these planted trees to be able to remove 200 billion tons of carbon. This is why it is important to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the implementation of the afforestation project.

If we act now , it would reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by up to 25%, levels last seen nearly a century ago. The good thing is that planting trees is inexpensive compared to other solutions and techniques, and they are available and all people can easily participate in them.

Tree planting will also help enrich wildlife and biodiversity while reducing water pollution, soil degradation and the spread of epidemics.

Is planting trees the best way to combat climate change?

A study from the University of California revealed that grasslands and grasslands are better carbon pools than woodland trees in California. This happens because grasslands are less affected by drought and forest fires because they trap most of the carbon underground, while forest trees store it mostly in woody biomass and leaves.

As a result, when trees burn they release the carbon back into the atmosphere, while the carbon that the grasslands fix tends to stay in the roots and the soil. This indicates that grasslands are less susceptible to weather, drought and fire events, and thus are more resilient to climate change than trees.

This means that preserving grasslands and promoting grassland practices that contribute to carbon sequestration is critical to achieving greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

Moreover, other studies indicate that forests lead to a higher percentage of sunlight that is reflected directly into space without reaching and heating the earth, compared to agricultural lands. Therefore it is important to study the location or type of land to determine whether planting trees is the best use of the soil.