By UN Environment
It is common knowledge that planting trees tackle the causes of climate change by absorbing carbon emissions. Less known is the fact that forests also treat the symptoms of climate change, whether they are heatwaves, drought or crumbling coastal towns.
Here’s how. The outsize potential of trees to halt the climate crisis has generated a lot of media buzz recently, and rightly so – trees have an enormous capacity to absorb carbon emissions. Yet something crucial is missing from these stories. Forests don’t just absorb carbon; they also defend us from its most devastating impacts.
Heatwaves have been scorching India and Europe this summer, killing dozens of people. This July was the hottest month ever recorded, while the previous month was the hottest June on record. But as our air-conditioning systems were incessantly, providing much-needed respite from the stifling heat, they guzzle masses of fossil fuels, which in turn heats the planet. Our houses may stay cool, but the planet doesn’t. Read more>>
