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National strategies depend on natural methods to offset emissions – but acknowledge this may not be possible.
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Tropical forests are one of humanity’s best hopes for slowing climate change.
Trees scorched by the Caldor Fire smoulder in the Eldorado National Forest, Calif., Sept. 3, 2021.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Planting trees and preventing deforestation can store carbon in nature, but the effect may only be temporary. If we also eliminate emissions from fossil fuels, even this temporary effect is important.
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Efforts to preserve biodiversity and slow climate change make natural bedfellows.
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The world is a much better place for the extra carbon being absorbed by forests, but it can never entirely offset emissions.
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Secondary forests are growing on deforested land in the Amazon – but not enough to offset emissions from logging.
Miami and Miami Beach were built right up to the waterfront, with little room for nature.
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The Army Corps of Engineers is planning a sea wall 6 miles long and flood gates. The infrastructure might protect downtown from a hurricane storm surge, but most of the area will still be vulnerable.
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Solve the climate and extinction crises together, or solve neither.
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What can gardeners use that isn’t so bad for the climate?
Cotton plants growing on a no-till field in Arkansas, US.
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Drilling instead of tilling the soil to plant seeds could help the ground store more carbon.
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Scientists need to know how much we can rely on the land to offset our emissions.
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The UK’s marshes, bogs and fens provided the bare necessities of daily life for many centuries.
Demonstrators in Paris on the day the agreement was signed, December 12 2015.
EPA-EFE/Etienne Laurent
Done right, offsetting projects can benefit local people and make a measurable difference to carbon emissions.
Neil Entwistle
Flooding isn’t always destructive – it can be part of our toolkit for restoring ecosystems.
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The age of a forest can influence how effectively it offsets our emissions.
A farm in Stowe, Alta. Can Canadian agricultural producers lead the way on climate action?
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The Canadian dialogue on agriculture’s role in climate change is murky. Its time to be more clear and vocal on where challenges and opportunities lie.
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The lack of progress by governments in reducing global emissions means bold solutions across multiple fronts are now needed.
Breathe in the fresh forest air.
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Without care, reforestation projects can damage ecosystems and be useless as carbon stores. Here’s how to go about it the right way.
The Yorkshire Dales, England.
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Much of the UK’s farmland is unproductive. It could be put to better use storing carbon, offering recreation and providing wildlife habitat.
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Restoring Britain’s woodlands and peatlands isn’t just a utopian dream.