How much can cities offset by reforesting ?
Environmentalists aiming to pack away some of our atmospheric carbon into storage agree one way to do that is to plant more trees.
While some may assume that rural areas would be the natural first choice for planting, researchers have found that areas of cities should be a strong consideration too. Research found that some urban areas can offset a significant amount of their greenhouse gas emissions by reforesting city areas covered in shrubs or grass.
In fact, urban areas may have the potential to offset 82 metric tons of carbon equivalents a year and indeed for some smaller cities, mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, up to 25% emissions may be offset by reforesting.
In another example, The Irish Examiner discusses a study that took place in Cork city which highlights how much more tree planting we need to consider in order to mitigate against the climate crisis. Despite the modest carbon capture and sequestration of urban trees, the study draws attention to the myriad of other benefits such as cooling the city, physical and mental health and increasing tourism. While the plans in Cork city were to plant a few thousand trees, more ambitious plans are taking place in Glasgow to plant 18 million trees over the next decade.
While some may assume that rural areas would be the natural first choice for planting, researchers have found that areas of cities should be a strong consideration too. Research found that some urban areas can offset a significant amount of their greenhouse gas emissions by reforesting city areas covered in shrubs or grass.
In fact, urban areas may have the potential to offset 82 metric tons of carbon equivalents a year and indeed for some smaller cities, mainly in the Southern Hemisphere, up to 25% emissions may be offset by reforesting.
In another example, The Irish Examiner discusses a study that took place in Cork city which highlights how much more tree planting we need to consider in order to mitigate against the climate crisis. Despite the modest carbon capture and sequestration of urban trees, the study draws attention to the myriad of other benefits such as cooling the city, physical and mental health and increasing tourism. While the plans in Cork city were to plant a few thousand trees, more ambitious plans are taking place in Glasgow to plant 18 million trees over the next decade.
In order to maximise our efforts against climate change and broaden our mindset we should consider urban areas as ripe for reforestation and local ecological planning should consider carbon capture and offsetting.
Join us, help plant more trees, and give back to the environment...
Join us, help plant more trees, and give back to the environment...