A Breath of Fresh Air: How Trees Help Mitigate Climate Change

Just like humans, trees breathe. But, while humans inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, trees do the opposite: their leaves pull in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to turn into sugars that feed the tree. This process, known as photosynthesis, emits oxygen. So, through photosynthesis, trees remove climate-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help us mitigate the effects of climate change.

In one year, a mature tree can absorb a half a Metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent. Altogether, forests in the U.S. offset about 16 percent—or three decades worth—of greenhouse gas emissions emitted from cars, trucks, power plants, and other sources in country. In fact, forest ecosystems are the largest land-based carbon sink on Earth.

Carbon dioxide absorbs and radiates heat. Though an essential component of our atmosphere, humans have increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 47 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. As a result, our average annual global temperature has risen by 2 degrees, which has, in turn, driven temperature extremes, decreased snow and sea ice cover, intensifying natural disasters, and changing habitat ranges for plants and animals.