Can forestation effectively tackle climate change? Scientists raise concerns over ‘side-effects’

The suggestion that you can offset your carbon emissions by planting trees is quite prominent. Many businesses currently offer to plant a tree for each purchase, and dozens of countries have signed up for the Bonn Challenge to restore degraded and deforested landscapes.

But expanding tree cover could affect the atmosphere in complex ways. Forestation increases atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. But side effects, such as changes to other greenhouse gases and the reflectivity of the land surface, may partially cancel out the positives.

Countering negative side effects of forestation

Scientific researchers suggest forestation – if done alongside other climate change mitigation strategies including reducing emissions of greenhouse gases – can be more effective as the negative side effects are likely to have a smaller impact.

Future climate projections suggest that to limit global heating to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels – a threshold set by the Paris Agreement – greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero by mid-to-late 21st century and eventually become net negative.

Forestation – the restoration and expansion of forests – is a heavily proposed strategy for carbon removal. If deployed sustainably, the strategy can provide other benefits such as protecting biodiversity, reducing soil erosion and protecting better against flooding.

Forestation alone unlikely to fix our warming Earth

In a future where climate mitigation is not of prime importance, up to 30% of the benefit of forestation gets cancelled out. But in a Paris-compatible future, the figure drops to 15%, reported The Conversation on February 22.

Overall, forestation alone is unlikely to fix our warming Earth. The global community must rapidly reduce its emissions and simultaneously enhance the ability of the natural environment to store carbon. Basically, climate action requires efforts from all sectors.

Read More: 10 important facts everyone should know about tree planting