The top-line findings of a massive analysis of the growth rate of more than 20,000 tropical trees in over 30 countries may at first seem reassuring: that droughts over the past century have had a minimal effect on their growth.
The top-line findings of a massive analysis of the growth rate of more than 20,000 tropical trees in over 30 countries may at first seem reassuring: that droughts over the past century have had a minimal effect on their growth. Because tropical forests play a crucial role in naturally sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere—combatting global warming—the trees’ resilience should be a relief.
However, the study, published on July 31 in the journal Science, also raises concerns that this resilience is highly likely to wane as the planet continues to warm and the frequency of droughts increase. As announced by the United Nations last year, the global effort to reach the “net zero” target for carbon emissions by 2050 will not succeed at the current rate of progress—resulting in more frequent and severe extreme weather events.
More immediately, the large group of co-authors behind the new paper estimates that each dry year may cause enough tree mortality to result in extra CO2 emissions roughly equivalent to that of Germany in a year, according to their data when combined with separate long-term forest monitoring studies.
Read More: University of California – Santa Cruz
Photo Credit: M71 via Pixabay
