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Trees are carbon and methane sinks - we need billions more trees!

Trees might not be acting in the way we thought - this forest fitted with pipes can tell us why

Thomas Downes A photo looking up at trees with sunlight peaking through (Credit: Thomas Downes)

By simulating the future atmosphere, scientists hope to understand whether trees will continue to act as the lungs of the planet.

"The oak is the queen of her domain," says Rob MacKenzie as he gestures towards a giant towering above us. This oak tree has stood in this very spot since long before he or I walked the Earth. 

Global Deforestation Summary - 2022

Deforestation: Which countries are still cutting down trees?

Logs from the Amazon

World leaders have pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030.

But in Brazil's Amazon rainforest it has hit its highest level in over 15 years - and progress elsewhere is challenging.

Brazil: Illegal logging continues

Some 60% of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil, and it plays a vital role in absorbing harmful CO2 that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.

Methane greenhouse gas to be released from Antartica

Antarctic may host methane stores

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Ancient organic matter could be converted to methane by microbes.
 

Large volumes of methane - a potent greenhouse gas - could be locked beneath the ice-covered regions of Antarctica, according to a new study.