Matrix Report
Trees have been playing a vital role in nature since existence of on Earth.
Climate change is impacting everyone. From fuelling stronger hurricanes and forest fires, drying up water resources, diminishing food security, accelerating global warming and displacing large populations. It is unfortunate how irresponsible humans have been in accelerating climate change. Although, since the problem has gone main stream, we are seeing more and more solutions to reverse the damage that has been done to the environment already.
A recent study has shown that planting trees is a brilliant way to save the planet from climate changes and all the damage it is causing. Scientists have estimated that there are three trillion trees on Earth and there is still enough room on to plant another one trillion trees. But how will planting trees change anything?
Trees can absorb carbon dioxide which means they help to curtail rising temperatures around the world. They also keep the soil moist and reduce the risk of flooding. The trees are the warriors to fight global warming, rising temperature, droughts etc.
In a new study, researchers found that the planet has nearly 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers) to spare for trees. Such newly planted trees could cut carbon (a part of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere by nearly 25%, bringing it down to levels not seen for nearly 100 years. The study calculated that over the decades, those new trees could suck up nearly 750 billion tonnes of heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. That’s about as much carbon pollution as humans have spewed in the past 25 years.
Trees produce oxygen for living beings. Experts claim that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today. But given how rapidly climate change is accelerating, this has to be done quickly. Younger trees remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus tree plantation would have near-immediate results. However, it will take decades for new forests to mature and achieve this potential.
Six nations with the most room for reforestation are Russia, the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and China. Planting trees should be a top priority for these countries.
Due to increasing population and wood demand for construction in numerous parts of the world, trees are being cut down, ruthlessly, and on a massive scale. Deforestation is a noteworthy concern in the Amazon, where acres of rainforests are being chopped during each time to prepare for agribusiness. There’s as much carbon caught and put away in every one of the trees of the Amazon as the sum the entire planet has emitted over the past 10 years.
Senior author Thomas Crowther, an assistant professor of ecology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, said in a statement that the team’s calculation “shows clearly that forest restoration is the best climate change solution available today,”
Contarily, in certain parts of the world a lot of work is being done to plant trees and save humanity. Children in schools are being educated on the importance of planting trees. Governments are also waking in taking concrete steps to fight this menace.
In August 2017, Pakistan prematurely hit its target of planting one billion trees to combat the effects of climate change. In 2018, they decided to launch a new target – planting 10 billion trees in the next five years.
In Africa, an 8000 km wall of trees is being built – making it the largest living structure on the planet once it’s finished. The wall aims to spread across the width of Africa and through more than 20 countries including Senegal, Nigeria and Ethiopia. A decade on from its launch, the wall is currently 15% complete, with 11.4 million trees planted in Senegal alone.
In Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria, more than 2 million seeds have been planted – chosen from over 50 different species of trees.
The UK government declares it needs in excess of 10 million trees to be planted crosswise over England and it would allocate a £60 million reserve for this purpose. That incorporates £10 million to plant at any rate 100,000 trees in towns and urban communities.
Technology is enabling countries to accelerate the number of trees planted. In Myanmar, there are now drones planting trees. The drone flies over the area where it wants to plant trees, picks the best location to plant and then fires a pod filled with seeds into the ground.
