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Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

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Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#261

Post by ncmncm »

ai_ia wrote: post #7

I wonder if desert soil can be gradually converted to make the land fertile. That would definitely be helpful to convert a lot of land to plant trees which is currently of no particular use. Any research or innovation on that front ?

The Sahara desert is already being reclaimed at a remarkable rate by the people living at its edge, just to get more farmland for themselves. The more trees you have, the more precipition is collected.

Many places we think of as ancient deserts were climax forests in historical times, such as Petra. It became desert when too many trees were cut.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#262

Post by Nasrudith »

null000 wrote: post #255
Nasrudith wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminda me of flying into Georgia as part of a trip leg. Much of the surrounding area looked like it was a suburban area overlaid on a forest or what modernn fantasy elves or something as houses were trqnsplanted to modern America - it was so filled with trees - given the heat and history it makes sense and was even oddly beautiful from the sky. Really I think part of the cultural problem with home design environment…

I think that's a side effect of the modern expectation that everyone move cross country on a dime if it makes sense economically. Kinda hard to figure out ecological best practices when families can barely stick around for a generation and people constantly move into areas they're just not familiar or comfortable with. It takes a long time for best practices to become accepted and normal, and there just isn't the gen…

I think it predated that in that it occured with even slow "colonization" (regardless of it being occupied or not) but that is a good point. Expectations shape it first.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#263

Post by scruple »

gilbetron wrote: post #223
Kiro wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where do you live where shade trees are a thing?

Where do you live where shade trees are not a thing? Genuinely curious. I've never known someone that didn't know what they were. I live in Michigan and have four large trees surrounding the house, although we let their branches hang over the house, so 3 or so hours around noon, the house gets no shade.

There are essentially none where I live in SoCal (which actually bothers me a lot, because of how short-sighted it is but also because I grew up in the midwest and I genuinely miss having trees around). Most of the newer developments that I see and giant sections of LA and Orange county where I spend some time are little more than a sea of asphalt. There are trees in parks, of course, but they're more like decorations than something that serves a function.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#264

Post by NeedMoreTea »

Not cutting down rainforest, and encouraging their expansion again, seems a far better plan somehow.

The satellite images of continuing, and still accelerating, forestry loss were the most striking part of Attenborough's Climate Change prog for me.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#265

Post by hedora »

filesystemdude wrote: post #236
ChuckMcM wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cuts into my solar power generation through. So its a trade-off. Interestingly enough, from an energy production perspective the solar panels on the roof result in more reduction in CO2 than the trees do.

So, uh, generate the power somewhere other than on shady roofs? Seriously, I don't get the weird obsession with rooftop PV as if it's the only way to be green. PV is great, but, it doesn't work for every house. Personally, I have big oaks out front helping block passive solar windows in the summer, and the peak of my roof runs north-south so cell mounting would be tricky. That doesn't mean I can't get clean energy, i…

I’d love to see better off-the-shelf solar purgolas, gazebos and other shade generating buildings like that (partial shade greenhouses, maybe?).

The backside of solar panels are actually quite pretty, and provide shade + partial rain barriers.

This would open up more avenues to passive cooling and also reduce the lock-step replacement of the house’s roof with solar panel installation .

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#266

Post by lamarpye »

lyxsus1 wrote: post #228
14 wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dislike the US prison system but perhaps we could use prisoners to do it. They could plant hundreds If not thousands within a sentence and one day return to visit the forest they planted.

I like how we instinctively turn to slavery when there's a grand project that becomes vital.

I like how we instinctively characterize prisoners as slaves. Seems like it trivializes actual slavery, but I have been out of school for awhile, so the conventional wisdom is probably different now.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#267

Post by sologoub »

mrec wrote: post #226
duxup wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fortunate enough to have a pond and some marshy area bordering my house. My neighbors sometimes wondered why I don't trim it up and make it look "nice" right up to the water like some folks do. I like it wild, lots of trees and wildlife. I even let the wildness take a bit more of the yard than when i moved in. A few big trees quickly sprung up, no maintenance (compared to a yard) it looks great wild. Perhaps if o…

> We even get visited by some beautiful red foxes from time to time It's funny how urban adaptation affects perceptions of rarity. I live in fairly-central London and you can hardly set foot outside after dark without tripping over a red fox or three. Out in the countryside they're still pretty wary (with reason, since farmers will shoot them). Are urban foxes a thing in the US too, or is this still a UK phenomenon?

Saw some urban foxes in Montreal - a tourist left a backpack with his dinner (rotisserie chicken) on the ground while the group went to take photos, upon their return they discovered that the foxes were already splitting the “catch”.

California has some raccoons and coyotes. Haven’t seen foxes in cities, but we do have them in the countryside.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#268

Post by wurst_case »

hedora wrote: post #265
filesystemdude wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, uh, generate the power somewhere other than on shady roofs? Seriously, I don't get the weird obsession with rooftop PV as if it's the only way to be green. PV is great, but, it doesn't work for every house. Personally, I have big oaks out front helping block passive solar windows in the summer, and the peak of my roof runs north-south so cell mounting would be tricky. That doesn't mean I can't get clean energy, i…

I’d love to see better off-the-shelf solar purgolas, gazebos and other shade generating buildings like that (partial shade greenhouses, maybe?). The backside of solar panels are actually quite pretty, and provide shade + partial rain barriers. This would open up more avenues to passive cooling and also reduce the lock-step replacement of the house’s roof with solar panel installation .

This is a fantastic idea which I also recently had. Doing prelim research into how to turn something like this into a side business.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#269

Post by strainer »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #235
strainer wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"What are you proposing is going to happen that would be worse?" No offense but if you can't see how Chernobyl or Fukushima could have turned out worse, or that unexpected accidents in other locations could happen and could be worse, you don't understand nuclear power. Its problematic because I expect you have read plenty on it in order to want to defend it in a topic about aforestation. "Water isn't consumed" Water…

> No offense but if you can't see how Chernobyl or Fukushima could have turned out worse, or that unexpected accidents in other locations could happen and could be worse, you don't understand nuclear power. I can't help but notice the lack of specific examples or explanations of any kind. > Water resource is consumed, sure it rains again - often far away and into the sea. Fresh water resources are scarce and under pr…

"I can't help but notice the lack of specific examples or explanations of any kind"

Because its so simple as saying, "the wind COULD have blown the fukushima fallout southwards over Tokyo instead of relatively promptly into the Pacific." A nuclear accident COULD deliver fallout to a highly populated area that cant be evacuated in time. A nuclear accident COULD generate much more fallout than Fukushima or Chernobyl. How can one understand the technology, and challenge the reality of such risks of nuclear power plants? Pretending that its been as bad as it might have been and as it could be - like a dangerous driver saying "its fine - I've only ever hit a tree!"

re: desalination - fine then, add the cost of desalinating salt water to replace the increasingly scarce resource that nuclear plants evaporate, to their already uncompetitive cost.

Re: Planting 1.2T Trees Could Cancel Out a Decade of CO2 Emissions

#270

Post by Flozzin »

mrec wrote: post #226
duxup wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm fortunate enough to have a pond and some marshy area bordering my house. My neighbors sometimes wondered why I don't trim it up and make it look "nice" right up to the water like some folks do. I like it wild, lots of trees and wildlife. I even let the wildness take a bit more of the yard than when i moved in. A few big trees quickly sprung up, no maintenance (compared to a yard) it looks great wild. Perhaps if o…

> We even get visited by some beautiful red foxes from time to time It's funny how urban adaptation affects perceptions of rarity. I live in fairly-central London and you can hardly set foot outside after dark without tripping over a red fox or three. Out in the countryside they're still pretty wary (with reason, since farmers will shoot them). Are urban foxes a thing in the US too, or is this still a UK phenomenon?

I live in Minneapolis Minnesota. We have raccoons, opossums, squirrels, rabbits. That's all I have seen for small ground critters that aren't living in parks.
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