This research paints an uncharacteristically upbeat picture for the planet, but despite the headline finding, the environmental scientists behind the work say it does not mean the world’s governments can take their foot off the brake in their obligations to reduce carbon emissions as fast as possible.
This important new research was led by Western Sydney University’s Dr Jürgen Knauer, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, and published today in leading international journal Science Advances.
Although encouraging, the scientists say simply planting more trees and protecting existing vegetation is not a golden-bullet solution. However, the research does underline the multiple benefits to conserving such vegetation.
“Plants take up a substantial amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year, thereby slowing down the detrimental effects of climate change, but the extent to which they will continue this CO2 uptake into the future has been uncertain,” explains Dr Jürgen Knauer.
Read more at Trinity College Dublin
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