1. Running Head: PLANTING TREES AND GLOBAL WARMING 1
How planting more new trees can reduce global warming
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Global warming is becoming a real challenge as the world’s temperature is rising higher
as the days go by. World leaders have done all it takes to tackle this situation through coming up
with suggestions such as planting more trees to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide on the
earth’s surface. However, there are two different camps that have different thoughts on whether
planting new trees will have an impact on global warming. This article is aimed at discussing
what both the camps believes in and later draw a conclusion. Additionally, this paper will talk
about how planting trees create the cooling effect and also how the planting of trees have
impacted on the lives more so of those living in the poor countries.
Can planting of new trees help in reducing global warming?
Trees perform three major environmental roles; they absorb the carbon, create the cooling
effect and draws water from the ground. These three effects have different effects depending on
the part of the world the trees are found, for instance, in the tropics, and in the Polar Regions.
Carbon has for a long time been accused of the rising world temperature as the greenhouse effect
has been connected to the higher amount of carbon circulating the surface of the earth. The
assumption that many people makes is that when this carbon is withdrawn from the surface of
the earth then there are higher chances that the earth’s temperature will cool as compared to
when carbon is left to roam the surface of the earth freely. Planting more new trees will provide a
larger surface through which carbon in the air will be trapped and changed to oxygen a process
known as photosynthesis (Booth, 2012). The regions covered with forests will, therefore, have a
low amount of carbon on the surface of the earth.
Apart from absorbing the carbon from the surface of the earth, plants play a bigger role in
reducing the earth’s temperature through the absorption of the sun rays through their dark green
leaves. The surface created by forests according to the Guardian (2012) absorbs the light that hits

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the earth surface leading to the cooling effect of the ground. The amount of the lights that will be
reflected in this case is minimal creating a cooler effect as compared to when lights could have
bounced back from a bare ground. If more plants are planted there are higher chances that most
of the world’s surface will be under the cover of trees and that more leaves will absorb the
sunlight reducing the overall earth’s temperature.
The other bigger role of the trees as far as global warming is concerned according to
Nadine (2012) is to draw water from the ground and through a process called evapotranspiration
create lower clouds above the region where the trees are found. The lower clouds created have a
major factor as far as the earth’s temperature is concerned. Clouds have the tendency of
bouncing back the sun rays and hence reducing the amount of the lights reaching the earth’s
surface. The overall result will be that the temperature of the earth will be reduced.
According to Arbor Day Foundation, planting trees around the houses can reduce the
amount of energy consumed by a homestead. It states that in a home where trees are well
planted, for instance planting deciduous plants on the West and South sides can keep the house
warm in the winter and let the sun keep the house warm during the summer. Abor Day
Foundation also found out that up to 30 percent of energy use in the United States can be saved
by just planting three trees in each homestead (Randerson, 2014). This is because trees will help
in cooling the houses and hence reducing the amount of electricity use.
However, not everyone agrees with the notion that planting more new trees reduce the
global warming effect. In fact, there are those who have started connecting global warming to the
forest cover. An article by the New York Times titled “To Save the Planet, Don’t Plant Trees”
looks quite a hypocritical bearing I mind that people have been for a long time advised to plant
trees to save the world. According to Nadine (2014) the belief that reducing deforestation and

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planting as many trees as possible to combat global warming is conventional wisdom that is
wrong.
Planting more trees is complicating the matter of global warming and even making it
worse (Nadine, 2014). Climate science has a different story as to what people are taught in class.
Tough plants play a bigger role in absorbing the sun rays from bouncing back the earth’s ground;
there is a new revelation that too much absorption can be hazardous to the earth’s temperature.
Plants absorb too much temperature making heat circulate the earth’s surface and hence making
the earth’s surface warmer than in case sun rays could have bounced on the surface of the earth
(Robbin, 2015). The conclusion drawn by the climate scientists reveals that in the tropics, plants
may lead to cooling effect but in the colder regions the effects are, on the contrary, absorption of
sun rays by plants will lead to warming.
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) according to the Guardian (2011) are some of the
compounds that are related to trees that are hazardous to the human health. Trees emit VOC as a
way to protecting themselves from environmental stresses such as sweltering and bug infestation.
Planting more trees will mean that the earth surface will have more VOC emitted to the surface
of the earth. When VOC is combined with other chemicals emitted from the fossil fuel pollution,
the condition becomes worse (The Guardian, 2013). On this point, it can be concluded that
though planting new trees will reduce global warming on some parts of the world, the same
effects will not be felt in all other parts of the world.
The Cooling Effect of Tree on our environment, and how trees helps with summer heat
Trees can help in the summer heat as they provide a better shade and cooling effect of the
earth. Though this has been discussed earlier, it will be better to remind the reader that trees are
very important in cooling the earth’s surface from the sun rays that can help in reducing the

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summer heat. Apart from providing shades at homes and in the urban regions, trees absorb
sunlight and using that sunlight to make food, fiber and produce oxygen. In case more trees can
be planted, more sunlight can be absorbed from the earth surface reducing the heat. The trees
also absorb water beneath them and through evapotranspiration, they emit the absorbed water
into the atmosphere that condense to form low clouds that protect the underneath people and
animals from the scorching summer heat.
How planting trees in poor countries has changed the lives of people, and how planting trees
effect people.
Apart from impacting the global temperature, trees have also impacted the lives of people
living in the poor countries immensely. According to Okonjo-Iweala (2015), poor people have a
higher chances to feel the effects of global warming than a rich person since they have less
defense against diseases that are caused by global warming. An estimate by the World Health
Organization indicates that by 2030 there will be an increased number of deaths related to global
warming in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. An estimated 48,000 new deaths will be caused by
diarrhea while 60,000 new deaths will be caused by malaria. Another 90,000 additional deaths
will be caused by child malnutrition in case global warming is not effectively tackled. In the poor
countries, people have resolved to plant trees to save the planet from adverse weather conditions
that might hamper with the farm production.
Planting trees as learned earlier created low clouds that will lead to rains. Many people in
the poor countries depend on these rains to water their farms that will bring food to the
community. Most of the people in the poor countries depend on the rainwater to water their
farms because they cannot afford to irrigate the farms. With high rainfall and cool temperature, a
lot of food can be produced that help in reducing child malnutrition that the WHO predicts that
by 2030 will claim nearly 90,000 children in Africa and Asia annually. Plants also help in

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reducing soil erosion on the farms. Soil fertility can be maintained for a longer period making the
farms as productive as possible for a longer period.
Trees are not only important to the poor in protecting the environment but also
performing other tasks such as providing food, water and fuel. According to the Guardian (2011)
in the poor parts of Africa and Asia, many people use trees as a source of fuel since they cannot
afford to buy gas. When more plants are planted in these regions, the community source of fuel
is preserved saving the community from the agony of spending a lot to look for other means of
fuel. In Tanzania, trees are a source of food from bananas to avocados. The community depends
on selling the abundance to other regions such as Kenya apart from their local consumption
benefits.
After looking at some of the ways planting new trees can be beneficial and at the same
time disadvantageous to the environment, it can be concluded that the effects are not universal.
Plating more new trees will not have the same effects on global warming in the tropics and the
colder regions. It has been noted that as trees lead to cooling effect in the tropics, the cold
regions are getting warmer showing the difference in the effect of the trees. However, this paper
adapts the norm that trees have a major role to play as far as global warming is concerned. The
side effects of planting new trees are based on regional differences and not that trees have a
direct link with global warming. Also basing on how trees impact the lives of the people living in
the poor countries, it can be concluded that people depend much on the plants as a source of
food, water, and fuel and hence when more trees are planted, a slowing source of food and fuel
will be ensured for the poor communities.

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References
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sensitivityof future global warmingtolandcarboncycle processes. Environmental Research
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Brian Stone,December2010. Planta Tree,Cool the Planet.Retrievedfrom
<<http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/08/forestation-greenhouse-gases-copenhagen-opinions-
contributors-brian-stone.html>>
JamesRanderson,December2014. Tree-plantingprojectsmaynotbe so green.Retrievedfrom
<<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/dec/23/frontpagenews.climatechange>>
JimRobbin,October2015. DeforestationandDrought.Retrievedfrom
<<http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/11/opinion/sunday/deforestation-and-drought.html>>
Nadine Unger,September19,2014. The New YorkTimes.To Save the Planet,Don’tPlantTrees.
Retrievedfrom<<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/20/opinion/to-save-the-planet-dont-
plant-trees.html?_r=0>>
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Retrievedfrom<<http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/29/planting-trees-
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