Reforestation could be a powerful tool against climate change, according to a new study. Pictured, Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, October 2013. (CNN) — Restoring the world’s lost forests could remove two thirds of all the planet-warming carbon that is in the atmosphere because of human activity, according to a new study. Since the industrial revolution, humans have added around 300 billion tons of extra carbon to the atmosphere — mainly through burning fossil fuels — which is heating the planet to dangerous levels. But trees naturally remove carbon from the atmosphere, storing it above and below ground. A new study , carried out by researchers at Swiss university ETH Zurich and published Thursday in the journal Science, has calculated that restoring degraded forests all over the world could capture about 205 billion tons of carbon in total. Global carbon emissions are currently around 10 billion tons per year. The researchers identified ecosystems around the world that would naturally support some level of tree cover, but have become "degraded" — deforested for timber, for example, or turned into farmland that has since been abandoned. They excluded areas that are currently used as urban or agricultural land, or that would […]
Latest Articles
Eco-Friendly Farm Stays Around the U.S.
Takeaways: A farm stay is an accommodation where you can book a bed, room, or lodging on a working farm.
Payment for the accommodation...
Natural Fire Resistant Cotton
Natural Fire Resistant Cotton A research team from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed a...
The “Windcatcher”: Bigger Than The Eiffel Tower And Can Power 80,000 Homes, Say Developers
Takeaways: The Windcatcher is an offshore sail that might be set to change wind power generation.
The device can spin faster than traditional turbines,...
Urban Gardens and Regenerative Agriculture: How Small-Scale Farms Could be the Future of Food...
Urban Gardens and Regenerative Agriculture: How Small-Scale Farms Could be the Future of Food Production. Urban Gardens...
Calgary Passes Single-Use Plastics Bylaw
Takeaways: The city of Calgary has passed a single-use plastic bylaw to decrease the amount of waste the city produces.
Citizens will have to...
10 States Have Now Banned the Sale of Cosmetics Tested on Animals
Takeaways: New York has become the tenth state to ban the sale of cosmetics tested on animals.
The law is known as the New...