Could engineering rainforests save the planet from global warming?
At the Smithsonian symposium entitled "Will the Rainforests Survive?", leading tropical biologists vigorously debated current threats to the rainforest and what the future may hold.
At the Smithsonian symposium entitled "Will the Rainforests Survive?", leading tropical biologists vigorously debated current threats to the rainforest and what the future may hold.
While climate change was identified as a leading threat to rainforests, many of the scientists argued that the tropics may also be the key to mitigating the impact of global warming.
The scientists overwhelmingly supported initiatives such as REDD, which would pay tropical nations to preserve their rainforests due to their ability to store and lock carbon.
However, a number of the speakers recommended a further initiative to combat global warming: reforestation in tropical regions.
Tropical forests act as one of the world's largest carbon sinks, yet have been lost at high rates due to agriculture, logging, mining, and pasture land for grazing.
It is estimated that tropical deforestation amounts to 15 percent of the world's annual carbon emissions, a share greater than the transportation sector.
However, scientists believe that with large reforestation projects, the tropics could begin a new cycle of absorbing excess carbon.
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Source: Mongabay