EARTH.COM - Replanting the world’s forests could significantly reduce global warming, particularly in tropical regions, according to a new modeling study.
But even if every tree lost since the 19th century were replaced, the cooling impact would still fall short of reversing the full effects of human-caused climate change. Emissions cuts, the authors stress, remain essential.
The study, led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, shows that restoring global forests to their preindustrial extent could lower average global temperatures by 0.34 degrees Celsius. That’s about one-quarter of the warming the planet has already experienced.
The modeling is based on a hypothetical increase in forest cover of 12 million square kilometers – about 135% the size of the United States. That estimate is roughly equivalent to the widely discussed goal of planting one trillion trees.
Scientists estimate that the Earth has lost nearly half of its trees – about three trillion – since the dawn of industrial society.
“Reforestation is not a silver bullet,” said Robert Allen, a climate scientist at UC Riverside and the study’s lead author. “It’s a powerful strategy, but it has to be paired with serious emissions reductions.”