Reforestation is critical to meeting Paris climate change accord targets, researchers say

(Photo credit: Steven Kamenar / Unsplash) Climate change experts accept that reducing greenhouse gas emissions – even doing so substantially – won’t be sufficient for limiting atmospheric warming to the 2°C (3.6°F) goal of the Paris Climate Agreement. And with carbon capture technologies years away from maturity and widespread commercialization, one option is to take advantage of proven nature-based systems for sequestering carbon. That is the central message of a widely discussed recent article in the journal Science Advances . America’s trees, soil, and wetlands each year capture around 11 percent of the nation’s emissions, according to EPA. The study’s researchers calculate that they could be harnessed to sequester up to 21 percent of net annual emissions of the U.S. . In particular, the study authors identified reforestation – replanting historically wooded settings that no longer have forests – as the natural solution with the most potential to capture additional carbon. They found that actions like improving tree plantations, managing cropland nutrients, and restoring tidal wetlands also offer promising mitigation opportunities, but on a much smaller scale. ‘A forgotten solution to climate change,’ massive reforestation across U.S. is seen as critical to reducing climate change risks. Click To Tweet […]

Click here to view original web page at Reforestation is critical to meeting Paris climate change accord targets, researchers say