Tree-Planting Deserves As Much Attention As Renewable Energy, Study States

The current effort to fight climate change is reducing carbon emissions by increasing reliance on renewable energy and basically reducing the use of fossil fuel. However, a recent study suggests that the world should also shift their attention to planting more trees and fighting desertification and deforestation. Doing so can have just as much or even more impact in combating climate change.

The study was conducted by a team of scientists from different countries and published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences. The paper basically argues that ramping up efforts to making the planet much greener can have a significant impact on reducing climate change, just as much as cutting down on fossil fuel.

“We examine how much climate mitigation nature can contribute to this goal with a comprehensive analysis of “natural climate solutions” (NCS): 20 conservation, restoration, and/or improved land management actions that increase carbon storage and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions across global forests, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands. We show that NCS can provide over one-third of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize warming to below 2 °C,” the paper reads.

This is why the scientists are urging governments to also start implementing legislation to improve the capacity of nature to combat carbon emissions alongside efforts to curb carbon emissions. By doing so, up to 37 percent of all efforts to reduce carbon footprints can be achieved by 2030, The Guardian reports.

The scientists did note that investing in nature by planting more trees and improving land management is going to cost a lot of money. However, this is a chance to prove just how serious governments are in their plans to fight climate change and reduce carbon emissions. At the very least, this option is more cost-effective than doing nothing.