{"id":9363,"title":"Planting Trees to help Fight Climate Change.","description":"Global warming is happening at a faster rate than ever. Our polar ice caps are melting and our forests are burning. We\u2019re in a climate emergency and it\u2019s threatening our planet","content":"<p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/jlzoufx9yuwyv1pfkttpy4jatrigy8zam52vqv5emwypxlsf.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"71275546\" \/><strong>Global warming is happening at a faster rate than ever.\u00a0Our polar ice caps are melting and our forests are burning.<\/strong><\/p><p>We\u2019re in a climate emergency and it\u2019s threatening our planet.\u00a0According to experts, we're on track for an increase of between 3\u00b0C and 4\u00b0C by 2100. And these are only global average temperatures. At the poles and over land (where people live), the increase may be higher \u2013 possibly even double.<\/p><p><strong>There will be devastating consequences as temperatures soar. Changes will be irreversible as ecosystems collapse. Our planet will be unrecognisable.<\/strong><\/p><p>The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that\u00a0global temperatures need to be kept from rising by more than 1.5\u00b0C.\u00a0We've already passed\u00a01\u00b0C. We\u00a0need to act now.\u00a0The UK has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050, but how can we achieve it?<\/p><p>We need to seriously reduce our emissions, and find a way of reducing the damage already done. Technology is being explored to remove CO2\u00a0\u2013 the biggest culprit \u2013 from the atmosphere, but they are expensive and complex.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/wkvh9t2gxy2ceokak7wlfvzjo4p4jukbjokl53lxazpxgcpx.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"71275472\" \/><br \/><br \/><\/p><p>There is a simpler solution \u2013\u00a0and it\u2019s our most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change: trees.<\/p><p>Trees are the ultimate carbon capture and storage machines. Like great carbon sinks, woods and forests absorb atmospheric carbon and lock it up for centuries. They do this through photosynthesis.<\/p><p>The entire woodland ecosystem plays a huge role in locking up carbon, including the living wood, roots, leaves, deadwood, surrounding soils and its associated vegetation.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/idavuqpjcm4uvhmg4dz2itomqsfjihqbjeigguqgp8txc3hk.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"71275668\" \/><br \/>And trees do more than just capture carbon. They also fight the cruel effects of a changing climate. They can help:<\/p><ul><li><p>Prevent flooding<\/p><\/li><li><p>Reduce city temperature<\/p><\/li><li><p>Reduce pollution<\/p><\/li><li><p>Keep soil nutrient-rich<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>It's not just new woodland. Carbon accumulation continues in woodland that's centuries old. Old-growth forests are actually carbon sinks, contrary to the long-standing view that they are carbon neutral.<\/p><p>Woods are our allies in the fight against a changing climate, yet just 13% of the UK\u2019s land area is covered by trees (compared with an EU average of 37%).<\/p><p>The bottom line is, we need more trees\u00a0<em>and<\/em>\u00a0we need to protect the ones we already have.<\/p><p><img src=\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/51i09jktcteuqqldjjcemwkbvjchjjnhoz43ml7uark6vpja.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&amp;h=auto\" alt=\"\" title=\"71275751\" \/><br \/><br \/>Climate change is a huge and complex issue and, as individuals, we can feel helpless. But there is something we can do\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and that's increasing tree and woodland cover.<\/p><p>Trees are only part of the solution. Other changes have to be made to reduce global CO2\u00a0emissions and an effective response lies in the hands of world politicians. But we do need to plant more trees, quickly.<\/p><p>To help reach the UK government's 2050 target to become carbon net zero\u00a0\u2013\u00a0that\u2019s removing as much carbon as we\u2019re producing\u00a0\u2013\u00a0we need more trees. The reality is we need to increase the UK\u2019s woodland cover from its pitiful 13% to at least 19%.<\/p><p><br \/><br \/><br \/><br \/><\/p>","urlTitle":"planting-trees-to-help-fight-climate-change","url":"\/blog\/planting-trees-to-help-fight-climate-change\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/planting-trees-to-help-fight-climate-change\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/wonplanet.co.uk\/blog\/planting-trees-to-help-fight-climate-change\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1610034186,"updatedAt":1657197211,"publishedAt":1612956368,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":103581,"name":"won-planet"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/dkynbs9xg4e8opolxjcgpc9jq7eybza9chfh4tgnrnwchuzd.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/dkynbs9xg4e8opolxjcgpc9jq7eybza9chfh4tgnrnwchuzd.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/dkynbs9xg4e8opolxjcgpc9jq7eybza9chfh4tgnrnwchuzd.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"Planting Trees","metaDescription":"Tree planting to protect our planet.","keyPhraseCampaignId":2806,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":26514,"title":"The Intertidal Zone","url":"\/blog\/the-intertidal-zone\/","urlTitle":"the-intertidal-zone","division":103581,"description":"The intertidal zone of the ocean is where tide pools, or small, isolated pockets of water, form. 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