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By Olaf Ribeiro

Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District

When people talk about technologies that might offset climate change, they often evoke complex and expensive methods that are just too expensive for most cities, or individuals to implement. However, there is a comparatively low cost method with little risk that can effect climate change –one that all of us can easily participate in. It is called Trees! Planting trees remains one of the cheapest and most effective means of removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (Carbon sequestration).

One tree shading a home in the city will save fossil fuel and cut carbon dioxide reducing the “Greenhouse Effect”. A single mature tree can absorb carbon dioxide @ 48 lbs/year and release enough oxygen into the atmosphere to support 2 human beings. If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion lbs. annually.

These are just some of the effects of planting trees that will be discussed in this talk as well as what efforts are taking place globally to save trees – and to plant more trees to mitigate climate change.