How To Reduce CO2 By Planting Trees

One of the highest published methods of reducing CO2 emissions is to plant trees. Trees use photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide to carbon molecules for the tree and releases oxygen molecules back to the atmosphere. This in the most efficient and easy manner to absorb carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

With the burning of carbon based fuels that has been stored in the earth's crust for millions of years, the sudden release of all the carbon molecules in the last century has increased the level of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere.

The action will only be reversed by processes that absorbs the carbon dioxide and stores it back permanently as a carbon based material. Growing trees and other natural plants will absorb the carbon and store it as part of the tree and plant. This is very efficient and is natural.

What is needed next, which is not mentioned in most cases, is what to do with the tree after it dies or needs to be removed. The important part here is that the tree needs to continue to either permanently store the carbon or needs to be used as a renewable product to replace non-renewable carbon based fuels and products. If the tree is allowed to just rot, or if it is just burnt in a waste pile, all the stored carbon will be re-intrained back into the atmosphere and with nothing accomplished.

Trees are generally turned into lumber or other products that hold the carbon, but these do not last forever and the carbon dioxide will be produced. However, using the tree to replace fuel for heating and other fuel displaces the other carbon based fuels, netting in at least a neutral carbon dioxide product which is also a renewable product.

All the trees in the rain forest does not help out with global warming if they are allowed to die and rot. This releases all of the carbon right back into the atmosphere.

Be smart with the green products. We must use them to replace other non-renewable energy sources. The green plants and trees need to be harvested properly and to be replanted in order to actually reduce the carbon concentration in the atmosphere.

This is one reason bamboo is becoming popular. It grows fast, so it absorbs carbon from carbon dioxide fast. It is very versitile and can be made into several products, including clothing, renewable fuel sources, building material and paper products.

If we can at least become close to carbon dioxide neutral, maybe the earth's natural processes will reduce the carbon dioxide in the air to previous levels.

http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi/research/Storage/storage.shtml

http://www.pnl.gov/gtsp/docs/ccs_report.pdf

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/carbon-capture-storage-will-happen-should-support.php