Massive global afforestation can decade CO2 emissions neutralize

Environment Trees are “our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change,” says ecologist Thomas Crowther. He states that a mass (re)afforestation all over the world ten years human CO2 emissions would complete receiver. According to his calculations, there is place for another 1.2 trillion trees extra on our planet.

Crowther delivers an ambitious and refreshing take on the environmental issues that these days scarred. If we have a lot of trees, the planting, has a huge positive impact on the air quality. Existing trees suck now all of a huge amount of carbon, and that could be even more if there are millions of trees would recover. According to the new research of dr. Thomas Crowther, there would be enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere can be achieved to a decade's worth of human CO2 emissions to compensate.

Parks, forests and secluded grounds, according to scientific calculations, room for 1.2 trillion additional trees. If we succeed, then that would have more success than any other tactic in our fight against the warming of the earth, from wind turbines to vegetarian food. In the list of Project Drawdown of the most efficient resources against the global warming are windmills and a better recycling of refrigerators and air conditioners at the top. That are good for a reduction of about 80 gigatonnes of emissions. Afforestation is on the fifteenth place, with an estimated CO2 reduction of 18 gigatonnes.

More trees than thought

But Crowther notes that the number of trees on earth much bigger than previously thought. His team comes out at a figure of less than 3 trillion, more than seven times more than a previous estimate of NASA. With modern research techniques such as machine learning and artificial intelligence in the scientists in a similar way calculated how many trees there are still bijkunnen. That also changes the Project Drawdown-classification of CO2-verminderingstechnieken. “We are now at 400 gigatonnes, with 3 trillion trees”, begins Crowther are construction. “As we ramp that up with a trillion extra trees, is that good for hundreds of gigatonnes from the atmosphere is achieved. That comes down to the complete fade of at least ten years of emission by human hands.”

It is not realistic to have all the proposed places to completely reforest. Nonetheless, the realization that the planting of trees may be crucial for the preservation of life on earth. Crowther emphasized that he no urban or agricultural land refers to afforestation, but only neglected, abandoned grounds. “So we are potentially the two biggest challenges of our time addressing: the warming of the earth and the loss of biodiversity.” He concludes: “The nice thing is that everyone involved can be. Trees make people literally happier in urban environments. They promote the quality of air, water and food, and the ecosystem. It is such a simple, tangible something.”