In November, a discussion arose over tree planting as a viable method to offsets carbon emissions. A new study, which used computer modeling to calculate the impact of forests on climate change, concludes that yes, trees can help... if they're planted in the right places. According to a BBC article,
Dr [Govindasamy] Bala [of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory] and colleague Ken Caldeira, from the Carnegie Institution of Washington, used a computer model to determine the impact which forests in different parts of the planet would have on temperature.
Their analysis indicates that three key factors are involved:
forests can cool the planet by absorbing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during photosynthesis
they can also cool the planet by evaporating water to the atmosphere and increasing cloudiness; a deck of white clouds reflects incoming solar radiation straight back out into space
trees can also have a warming effect because they are dark and absorb a lot of sunlight, holding heat near ground level
"Our study shows that tropical forests are very beneficial to the climate because they take up carbon and increase cloudiness, which in turn helps cool the planet," explained Dr Bala.
