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Save the forest - save ourselves from global warming

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
 
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31 December 2015, 09:02

Recently, the capital of France hosted a meeting of world leaders, which discussed the problems of global warming and methods of combating climate change. The most likely way to reduce the harmful impact on the environment is the abandonment of fossil fuels, but how quickly it turns out to switch to renewable energy sources is quite 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 renewable sources of energy are an alternative to use, but do not underestimate other ways that will help improve the situation for the better. For example, rain forests - you can find many reasons why you need to not only save 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 elsewhere and die.

In addition, forests represent a kind of "filter" of our planet, it is they that purify the air after harmful emissions.

In one of the environmental journals an article was published in which experts argue that it is possible to halve the amount of harmful emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere while preserving the forests and enabling them to recover.

The well-known fact that forests are one of the main carbon sinks on the planet, but today due to deforestation and degeneration of tropical forests, the level of harmful emissions to 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, this in turn will stop emissions into the atmosphere, directly related to the cutting operations.

Secondly, the forests, which are now recovering from previous damages, absorb more harmful substances from the air (about 3 gigatons a year).

Of course, deciding to stop deforestation can be difficult, since the liberation of land from trees allows you to get huge plots that will later be used for agriculture or infrastructure, but on the other side of the scale the future of the planet and all of humanity. If you believe the authors of the article, the restoration of 200 million hectares of forest (which, incidentally, is not used productively to date) will allow you to get rid of 1 gigaton of harmful emissions every year for decades.

The article emphasizes that the rainforests can help more gently overcome the abandonment of fossil fuels and stop the temperature rise, thereby reducing the critical markings of warming. To some extent this is due to the fact that every year, as trees grow, carbon dioxide absorption decreases. In addition, if the average air temperature on the planet increases at the same rate, climate change can cause irreparable harm to forests and disrupt their ability to recover.

It is worth noting that the restoration of forests is now a more feasible task, in comparison with the abandonment of fossil fuels, but in this case it takes a lot of work. Heads of state should understand the importance of measures to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere and direct all efforts to implement them. 

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