Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Sorry, Al: Tree Planting May Speed Warming

Outside the tropics, trees merely trap heat, study shows

By Colleen Barry,  Newser Staff

Posted Apr 10, 2007 9:06 AM CDT

(Newser) – Planting trees to offset your carbon footprint not only won't slow global warming, it may worsen its effects, a new study claims. Trees growing outside a small band of tropical zones don't cut the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by enough to offset the heat their foliage traps, says atmospheric scientist Govindasamy Bala in the Guardian.

The preferred penance of affluent carbon-fuel guzzlers may actually be counter-productive, Bala says. By the end of the century, forested areas in the mid and high latitudes could be about five degrees warmer than those with fewer trees because dark foliage absorbs sunlight and heat.

British politicians plant a tree.
British politicians plant a tree.   (Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Plans to Stop Global Warming Straight From Sci-Fi Novels

They Pay the Price of Warming

Burping Pill Cools Global Warming

Greenhouse Gases Surging: US Report

Climate Change Reverses 8 Millennia of Arctic Cooling


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne