Forest conservation might be an even more important climate solution than we realize: study
It’s estimated that deforestation is responsible for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions. Of course, in addition to the direct emissions created, the destruction of a forest means the removal of a valuable carbon sink, as well, which is why deforestation represents a “double jeopardy” scenario for Earth’s climate system. These are just two of the chief reasons why efforts to keep forests standing are considered critical if we’re to halt climate change. But according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change late last month, we may be underestimating the extent to which forest conservation and reforestation initiatives can help curb rising global temperatures, as sequestering carbon dioxide is only one of the climate-regulating attributes inherent to the world’s forests. Trees are also a crucial regulating factor in the cycle of water and heat exchange between Earth’s surface and atmosphere — and thus forests play a key role in regulating local climates and surface temperatures, according to the authors of the study.
