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Save the forest - save ourselves from global warming
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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World leaders recently met in the French capital to discuss global warming and how to combat climate change. The most likely way to reduce the harmful impact on the environment is to abandon fossil fuels, but how quickly we can switch to renewable energy sources is difficult to say.
All heads of state agreed that it is necessary to abandon fossil fuels as soon as possible, as they pollute the air with carbon dioxide and the alternative use is renewable energy sources, but we should not underestimate other ways that will help improve the situation for the better. For example, tropical forests - you can find many reasons why it is necessary not only to preserve the remaining forests on the planet, but also to restore them. First of all, they are the habitat of flora and fauna, and some species of plants or animals are not adapted to life in other places and die.
In addition, forests are a kind of “filter” for our planet; they clean the air after harmful emissions.
An environmental journal published an article in which experts claim that it is possible to halve the amount of harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by preserving forests and allowing them to recover.
It is a known fact that forests are one of the main carbon sinks on the planet, but today, due to deforestation and degradation of tropical forests, the level of harmful emissions into the atmosphere is increasing.
In addition to statistical data, the article indicates possible ways out of the current situation, in particular, how to preserve and restore tropical forests. First of all, it is necessary to stop the destruction of forests, which in turn will stop emissions into the atmosphere directly related to logging operations.
Secondly, forests that are now recovering from previous damage absorb more harmful substances from the air (approximately 3 gigatons per year).
Of course, making the decision to stop deforestation can be difficult, as clearing land of trees allows for huge tracts of land to be used for agriculture or infrastructure, but on the other side of the scale is the future of the planet and all of humanity. According to the authors of the article, restoring 200 million hectares of forest (which, by the way, are not used productively today) will eliminate 1 gigaton of harmful emissions annually for decades.
The article highlights that tropical forests can help to more gently overcome the transition away from fossil fuels and stop the rise in temperatures, thereby reducing critical warming levels. This is partly because each year, as trees grow, their absorption of carbon dioxide decreases. In addition, if the average air temperature on the planet continues to rise at the same rate, climate change could cause irreparable damage to forests and impair their ability to recover.
It is worth noting that forest restoration is currently a more feasible task than abandoning fossil fuels, but it still requires a lot of work. Heads of state must understand the importance of measures to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere and direct all efforts to their implementation.