My Science School

When we speak about increasing forest cover, the main reason for doing so is perhaps that it takes in carbon, and so will help in tackling climate change. But, that's not the only thing forests do. Their benefits are interconnected in a way it can help humankind as a whole live well. Let's take a closer look at some of the ways in which they help us

Cooling effect

Keeping tropical forests standing provides a 50% greater impact on lowering global temperatures than can be accounted for simply through their carbon-absorbing abilities, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute (WRI), a think tank.

Stands of trees, for instance, provide "evapotranspiration" - the process by which water is released from the soil into the atmosphere to fall as rain. Such additional cooling impacts must be integrated into governments climate policies to fully reflect what forests do for the planet, the report said.

Food and water security

Forests help to maintain stable rainfall patterns and local temperatures, which are vital for food and water security, according to the WRI report.

 The Brazilian Amazon, for example, the report said, helps to maintain vital rainfall in several other countries, affecting agricultural production as far as Argentina. As deforestation turns parts of the world's largest tropical rainforest into dry savannah, scientists are concerned that the Amazon is edging towards a tipping point beyond which it might never recover.

A buffer against natural disasters

Another benefit that forests provide is their ability to act as a buffer against natural disasters, which have become increasingly common due to climate change. Tree canopies can intercept rainfall and slow it down in a storm, allowing up to 30% of the water to evaporate into the atmosphere without reaching the ground, according to Britain's Woodland Trust charity. In fact, some cities are using urban forests to become more resilient to flooding, as trees provide more permeable land to absorb rainwater.

Also, across the world's equatorial regions, mangrove forests not only store significant carbon but provide a defence against coastal erosion and storm surges

Global biodiversity

Another vital contribution of forests is their impact on biodiversity, with such ecosystems home to more than half of the world's land-based animal and plant species. As well as protecting nature, forests can provide a range of benefits to people, from forest foods to medicines. Especially in tropical regions, deforestation has been linked to increased outbreaks of infectious diseases, in particularly as animals come into closer contact with people. According to a recent analysis by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world's wildlife populations have declined by more than two-thirds since 1970, with deforestation a major driver.

Sustainable living

Deforestation leads directly to increases in local temperatures, exposing people and crops to heat stress, WRI said.

These local temperature extremes are a particular threat in the tropics for small-scale farmers, agricultural workers, indigenous people, and other local communities. Indigenous communities in particular rely on forests for their way of life. Research shows that they are also the best people to conserve these areas, leading to calls to put more in the hands of frontline communities.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Forests are the largest carbon sinks on land - they remove about 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 each year from the atmosphere.

• In the Amazon, more than 10,000 species are at risk of extinction due to the clearing of rainforest for uses such as cattle ranching and soy farming.

• In the Amazon basin, a 2021 report by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed that deforestation rates are up to 50% lower in indigenous peoples' forest lands than in other areas.

Picture Credit : Google 

If you want to be a part of the solution to climate change, you need to check your carbon footprint.

A carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases generated by our actions that are harmful to the planet. It is expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The average carbon footprint for a person in India is 2.7 tonnes. But this average masks the wide differences between urban and rural residents, and between rich and poor households. So if you want to be a part of the climate solution, you need to check your carbon footprint.

There are many carbon calculators on the Internet, but few are fine-tuned for the Indian consumer. Some of the local calculators are from Tata Power and ICICI Bank. The calculations cover your energy, gas, paper, and other uses whose manufacture generate carbon emissions.

Once your footprint is known, various options are available to offset your emissions. These include planting trees, helping to set up solar or bio gas installations in villages, etc.

Voluntary carbon offsets

Many airlines provide voluntary carbon offsets for domestic or international flights as part of ticketing. For example, if you fly from Mumbai to London on British Airways (BA), your round trip will generate 1.1 tCO2e in emissions. BA will charge you separately to offset the emission, which will be used to protect forests in Cambodia or Peru or supply smokeless cook stoves in Sudan.

So what is the benefit to you? There is no direct benefit, except for some satisfaction that you have done your bit for the environment, that you have been a good global citizen, and that instead of just talking about climate change, you are taking action to address the climate crisis.

Planting trees

I will give you a personal example. My carbon footprint for 2020 was 7.1 tCO2e, which is above the Indian average on account of two flights. I decided to offset this emission by contributing towards planting trees in the village of Pekhri in Himachal Pradesh. I was helping not only to create a 'global good' but also local villagers who had no work on account of the pandemic. The money will help Pekhri village to plant a thousand fruit, fodder and timber trees on degraded slopes. The trees will be selected by the local people. In a small way, the plantation will also help store carbon in the soil, a global benefit.

But critics of carbon offsets say this is a Band-Aid solution, that it enables the well-off people to continue to pollute the Earth and just write a cheque to offset their bad behaviour. What is needed, they argue, is a complete change in lifestyle, a behavioural change that recognises the damaging impact of consumerism on the planet.

Getting out of our comfort zone

This is a valid argument, but changing human behaviour is not easy. Try convincing a car owner in Mumbai or Delhi to give up his precious car, motorcycle or scooter! Or a middle class housewife in Chennai or Hyderabad not to run the home air conditioner in the summer. Comfort and convenience are the hallmarks of a modern lifestyle. To convince the urban middle class to move out of its comfort zone is very hard, but one must try through raising awareness.

Calculating one's carbon footprint is the start of this awareness. As my high schoolteacher said, "To be a part of the solution, you must recognise you are part of the problem." You can't solve the climate crisis without recognising your role in it.

Picture Credit : Google 

The Alps glaciers in Switzerland are on track for their highest mass losses in at least 60 years of record keeping, data shared exclusively with Reuters shows. By looking at the difference in how much snow fell in winter, and how much ice melts in the summer, scientists can measure how much a glacier has shrunk in any given year. Since last winter, which brought relatively little snowfall, the Alps have sweltered through two big early summer heatwaves.

During this heatwave, the elevation at which water froze was measured at a record high of 17,000 feet - at an altitude higher than Mont Blanc's compared with the normal summer level of between 9,800-11,500 feet.

"It's really obvious that this is an extreme season," Swiss glaciologist Andreas Linsbauer said, shouting over the roar of rushing meltwater as he checked the height of a measuring pole jutting out of the ice on the massive Morteratsch Glacier in Switzerland. The measuring poles he uses to track changes in the depth of the pack are at risk of dislodging entirely as the ice melts away and he needs to drill new holes.

Vanishing glaciers are already endangering lives and livelihoods. Further, Swiss residents worry that the glacier losses will hurt their economy. Some area ski resorts of the Alps, which rely on these glaciers, now cover them with white sheets to reflect sunlight and reduce melting.

Mountain meltdown

Most of the world's mountain glaciers-remnants of the last ice age-are retreating due to climate change. But those in the European Alps are especially vulnerable because they are smaller with relatively little ice cover. Meanwhile, temperatures in the Alps are warming at around 0.3C per decade-around twice as fast as the global average

If greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the Alps glaciers are expected to lose more than 80% of their current mass by 2100. Many will disappear regardless of whatever emissions action is taken now, thanks to global warming baked in by past emissions, according to a 2019 report by the UN Intergovemmental Panel on Climate Change

The dire situation this year raises concern that the Alps glaciers might vanish sooner than expected. With more years like 2022, that could happen, said Matthias Huss who leads Glacier Monitoring Switzerland (GLAMOS). "We are seeing model results expected a few decades in the future are happening now." Huss said. "I not expect to see such an extreme year so early in the century."

ALPS FACTS

• Located within the continent of Europe, the Alps mountain range is more than 1,000 km long.

• Though it spans several countries from France to Albania, it is Switzerland and Austria that are considered to be the Alpine heartland.

• The Alps is crucial for the livelihood of Europe as it provides water for drinking, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.

• Given its vastness and varied mountain elevation, the Alps has a huge impact on the weather patterns and the natural environment of the continent. In short, when the Alps is affected, it will have a bearing on several parts of the continent.

Himalayan thaw

Himalayan glaciers are also on track for a record ice loss year. When the summer monsoon season arrived in the Kashmir region, for example, many glaciers had already shrunk drastically, with their Snowlines starting high up the mountain, after a March-May heatwave marked by temperatures above 48C in northern India. An early June expedition in India's Himachal Pradesh found that the Chhota Shigri Glacier had lost much of its snow cover. "The highest temperature in over a century in March through May clearly had its impacts," said glaciologist Mohd Farooq Azam at the Indian Institute of Technology Indore.

Picture Credit : Google