Study finds that trees cool the planet by one-third of a degree through biophysical mechanisms such as humidifying the air.
“This study gives us even more reasons why tropical deforestation is bad for the climate,” says Nancy Harris, forest-research director at the World Resources Institute in Washington DC.Forests are major players in the global carbon cycle because they soak up COfrom the atmosphere as they grow. Tropical forests, in particular, store around one-quarter of all terrestrial carbon on the planet, making them “centrepieces for climate policy” in their home countries, Griscom says.
Although scientists knew about these effects, they hadn’t understood to what extent the various factors counter global warming. Trees in the tropics provide shade, but they also act as giant humidifiers by pulling water from the ground and emitting it from their leaves, which helps to cool the surrounding area in a way similar to sweating, Griscom says.This transpiration, in turn, creates the right conditions for clouds, which like snow and ice in the Arctic, can reflect sunlight higher into the atmosphere and further cool the surroundings.
Threats to tropical rainforests are dangerous not only for the global climate, but also for communities that neighbour the forests, Lawrence says. She and her colleagues found that the cooling caused by biophysical effects was especially significant locally. Having a rainforest nearby can help to protect an area’s agriculture and cities from heatwaves, Lawrence says. “Every tenth of a degree matters in limiting extreme weather. And where you have forests, the extremes are minimized.
Governments across the tropics have struggled to conserve their forests despite more than two decades of global campaigns to halt deforestation, promote sustainable development and protect the climate. Lawrence says that her team’s findings make it clear that protecting forests is a matter of self-interest, and has immediate benefits for local communities.Lawrence, D., Coe, M., Walker, W., Verchot, L. & Vandecar, K.
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