The WaterBlog

Cooling the Planet with Plants

Rob de Laet & Femke van Woesik Climate change is an urgent crisis requiring immediate action. Historically, we have relied on two primary strategies: adaptation, which involves coping with the effects as they occur, and mitigation, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to stop global warming. Yet, there is a third, often overlooked strategy: managing local climates through natural processes to directly cool the environment. Managing Local Climates for Global Cooling This third strategy involves changing land surfaces to influence local climate factors like sunlight, soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and wind. The way land absorbs and distributes solar energy affects how much heat is stored in the air and soil versus how much is used for cooling through water evapotranspiration. One way of improving land surfaces is by conserving and regenerating forests. In their article, “Restoring the Earth’s Damaged Temperature Regulation: Cooling the Planet with Plants,” Peter Bunyard, Eliza Collin, Rob de Laet, Martin Hodnett, and Morel Fourman… Continued