By Jake Spring
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – New scientific research suggests that restoring global forests has the potential to sequester 22 times as much carbon as the entire world emits in a year. This study makes a strong case that trees are a crucial tool in addressing the climate crisis, in addition to cutting down on fossil fuel use.
The study focuses on restoring forests to their natural state, either by allowing damaged woodlands to regenerate or by reforesting areas that have been deforested, excluding those used for agriculture or urban development.
If the world reaches its full potential for restoration, it could remove approximately 226 gigatonnes of excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – equivalent to one-third of the atmospheric carbon added since the industrial revolution.
Ecologist Thomas Crowther emphasizes that it is vital to take steps to simultaneously restore nature and reduce carbon emissions. He is joined by over 200 other researchers who have published their findings in the journal Nature, offering a significant update to a previous study that sparked heated debate in the scientific community.
While forests can play a role in combating climate change, using them to offset future greenhouse gas emissions would be counterproductive, according to Crowther. Additional emissions would intensify climate change and extreme weather, harming forests and their carbon-absorbing abilities, nullifying any potential offset benefits.
Crowther plans to convey this message to policymakers at the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate summit, stating, “This paper has to be the one to kill greenwashing.”
The research builds on a 2019 study co-authored by Crowther, which indicated that forest restoration could sequester 205 gigatonnes of carbon. This study inspired Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to work with the World Economic Forum on the initiative to plant a trillion trees, which garnered widespread support.
However, the study also sparked controversy, with some critics arguing that trees were being presented as a simplistic solution to the climate crisis. Accusations of inflating the potential of forest restoration were raised, leading to concern about oversimplifying complex environmental issues.
While acknowledging potential flaws in the study, ecologists emphasize the need to protect existing forests and to ensure that restoration efforts are executed in a diverse and community-oriented manner.
