Mitigate Climate Change by Planting Trees

A recent study published in the Journal Science estimated the possibility of mitigating climate change by planting trees.

An international research team, lead by Jean-Francois Bastin of Switzerland, used measurements of forest cover around the globe to model Earth’s estimated forest restoration potential. The authors concluded that by planting more than half a trillion trees, we could capture about 205 gigatons of carbon, reducing atmospheric carbon by about 25%!

While the concept of planting trees is not the sole and saving solution to climate change, it is quite clearly a strong contribution to reduce the effects of carbon emissions. With the potential to negate about 20 years of human-produced carbon emissions, planting trees is a direct way to address the environmental concerns that are often approached theoretically.