On this new global map , huge swaths of land are dotted in green pixels. These are the areas that could potentially be recovered with forests that have disappeared, according to a new study—and in total, could help capture as much as two-thirds of the carbon that humans have pumped into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution. Planting trees is far from the only thing that needs to happen to fight climate change. But the study makes clear exactly how much it can help. “Our research shows that it should really be considered to be a top solution that must be prioritized,” says Tom Crowther, a professor of global ecosystem ecology at ETH Zurich and one of the authors of the paper. [Image: Crowther Lab/ETH Zurich] A UN climate report last year suggested that the world needs another billion hectares of carbon-sucking forests to have a chance of hitting the critical goal of staying under 1.5 degrees Celsius of global temperature rise . But other researchers had only rough estimates of how much space exists to plant new trees. The new study looked at thousands of photos of forests in protected areas to build a predictive model of how […]
Latest Articles
Halving Pesticide Use, Dismantling Dams: EU’s Ambitious Draft Law to Restore Nature
Takeaways: The European Commission has drafted a law that will halve pesticide use across Europe by 2030 and dismantle big dams to make rivers...
Why Growing Forests Are Awesome
Why Growing Forests Are Awesome Guest Post by: Job van Hooijdonk, co-founder of Regreener In 2016, a record of 29.7 million hectares of forest disappeared. That's2 90,000 square...
The Benefits of Adaptive Reusing Old Buildings into New
Takeaways: Reusing old buildings instead of building new ones can benefit communities, inhabitants and the environment.
Reusing these buildings helps maintain the community's roots...
How Replacing Coal with Renewable Energy Could Pay for Itself
Takeaways: Transitioning from coal to renewable energy can result in an economic gain of $78 trillion.
The benefits of ending coal use come from...
Unilever Invests in Biotech Alternatives to Palm Oil for Greener Cleaning
Takeaways: Unilever is investing in a plan to use plant-based ingredients in their extensive household product range.
The company has partnered with a U.S....
How Indigenous Traditions Are Saving Zimbabwe’s Endangered Wildlife
Takeaways: A mix of beliefs, taboos and myths, passed orally from generation to generation, has been at the centre of wildlife conservation in many...
