Net Zero Evolution’s Post

🔎 You’ve likely heard of tree cover restoration as a climate solution, but did you know it can sometimes lead to global warming if the trees are planted in the wrong places? This is due to the albedo effect, or the fraction of sunlight that is reflected from Earth back to the atmosphere. Trees, being darker than other surfaces, tend to absorb more sunlight.   Thankfully, new research shows how albedo can affect forest restoration around the world, helping decision-makers choose the best locations for tree planting projects.   “We’ve addressed a significant research gap and gained a much more complete picture of how restoring tree cover can impact our global climate – both positively and also sometimes negatively,” says Susan Cook-Patton, Ph.D., senior forest restoration scientist at The Nature Conservancy and co-author on the paper.   “There are so many good reasons to restore tree cover, even in locations with fewer climate benefits: cleaner water, resilient food production, wildlife habitat, and so on. Our paper simply provides decisionmakers with one more set of tools in their toolkit.”   “We’re calling on governments and land managers to more carefully consider albedo in their environmental decision-making.”   Read about the study here: https://lnkd.in/e2sec8Aa   📷: Benjamin Drummond Clark University, ETH Zürich, Natalia Hasler, Christopher Williams, Silvana Vanessa Carrasco Denney, Peter Ellis, Drew Terasaki Hart, Ph.D., Nicholas Wolff, Samantha Yeo, Thomas W. Crowther, Leland Werden #naturebasedsolutions #climateaction

Forests are a powerful climate solution.🌲🌎 Recent research shows how forest management and restoration can significantly boost carbon capture and enhance the resilience of ecosystems. #ForestCarbon #ClimateWeek #ClimateAction Read more here: https://heyor.ca/PNqFSa

"The steep trend toward greater extratropical forest fire emissions is a warning of the growing vulnerability of forest C stocks to climate change. This poses a major challenge for global targets to tackle climate change, with fire reducing the capacity of forests to act as C sinks." "In regions with substantial fire suppression history, shifting focus to managed, ecologically beneficial fires may prevent C sink-to-source conversion." "The present norm of counting forest fire emissions fluxes as natural, on both managed and unmanaged land, is increasingly at odds with the observed growth in fire emission fluxes tied to anthropogenic climate change." "highlight the potential for major overestimation of C storage (and therefore C credits) by reafforestation schemes in extratropical forests if the growing risk of fire disturbance is not appropriately factored into accreditation protocols." https://lnkd.in/dv22cYFs

Join us in exploring the critical role of reforestation in the Western United States and its impact on climate change 🌲🔥. Read more to understand the transformative power of reforestation and how you can contribute to a sustainable future 🌱✨. #reforestation #ClimateAction #sustainability #opendata #seedlings #wildfirerestoration https://lnkd.in/ewx5UjZa

appreciating National Audubon Society guidance #Birds and #Transmission: #Building the #grid #Birds needs - #intergenerational #intercultural #safe #naturefirst #sdgs #placebased #inclusive #planning #onehealth #wellbeing #design #forall

Recent research by Matthew W. Jones, Sander Veraverbeke, and John T. Abatzoglou highlights a troubling rise in forest fire emissions linked to climate change, particularly in extratropical regions. Their study reveals that emissions in certain boreal forests have nearly tripled from 2001 to 2023, primarily due to more fire-favorable weather and increased vegetation productivity. This shift underscores how climate factors are becoming more dominant in fire dynamics, even as emissions from tropical forests decline. As we face this growing vulnerability, it's crucial to rethink forest management and policy to better protect these vital ecosystems and their carbon storage capacities. Addressing the root causes of climate change is essential for securing resilient forests for the future. #ClimateChange #WildfireManagement #Sustainability

WisBiz Green Blog – 1/4/25 Great Lakes Not Immune To Climate Change By Gregg Hoffmann The Great Lakes are indeed great presences to anybody who lives in the Midwest. Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario comprise one of the great natural features of the region, continent and of the Earth. Although Lake Baikal in Russia has a larger volume of water, the combined area of the Great Lakes—some 94,250 square miles (244,106 square kilometers)—represents the largest surface of fresh water in the world. But, the Great Lakes are not immune to the effects of climate change. Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the United States and a critical natural resource, experienced its lowest water levels in a decade in 2024. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the lake's level at Grand Marais in Minnesota was 601.5 feet at the start of November, more than half a foot lower than at the same time in 2023. Newsweek reported in December 2024 these shifts highlight significant hydrological challenges for Lake Superior, which holds 10 percent of the world's fresh water. Changes in its water levels can have profound consequences. Lower levels can reduce the lake's shipping capacity, forcing vessels to carry lighter loads, which increases costs. Altered water levels and temperatures can also disrupt ecosystems, harming native species while benefiting invasive ones like zebra mussels. Superior is not the only Great Lake feeling the impacts. The EPA reported climate change is amplifying the risk of existing threats (such as invasive species, land use change, and pollution). It brings new challenges to the Great Lakes region. The primary impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes include changes to the duration and extent of winter ice cover, lake water levels, and important annual cycles that affect ecosystems. Rising temperatures are also affecting the timing of an event called destratification, or turnover, which may have implications for fishing and lake ecosystems. Fish and other lake animals need oxygen to survive, which lakes primarily receive from air at the surface. Species in deeper parts of the lake depend on seasonal boosts of oxygen-rich water through lake turnover, which mixes oxygen through the water column, according to the EPA. Scientists and others are coming to the aid of the great lakes. The Great Lakes Observing System, a Michigan nonprofit, is working to fully map the bottom of the Great Lakes. The lakes span nearly the size of the state of Oregon. Despite humans’ long history of using the lakes for water, transportation and sport, scientists say little is known about what lies deep below the surface. The mapping initiative, which has been dubbed Lakebed 2030, supports ongoing efforts. For the remainder of this story, and links to posts about climate change and the environment, go to WisBiz Green, Nature's Images in Pixels and Prose and the New Last Call from Nature Facebook pages.

The Great Salt Lake is shrinking at an alarming rate, with serious consequences for the environment and local communities. The decline is driven by climate change and increased water consumption, highlighting the urgent need to address greenhouse gas emissions and implement sustainable water management practices. Preserving this vital ecosystem is crucial for maintaining biodiversity, supporting local economies, and mitigating climate impacts. #climate #climateaction #netzero #impact

A new study in Nature Communications shows that climate change could seriously impact the Amazon’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide. As temperatures rise and conditions get hotter and drier, the risk of droughts and fires increases, weakening the rainforest's role as a global carbon sink. Since the Amazon is so important for our planet’s climate, these findings make it clear that we need to step up our efforts to combat climate change—whether through reforestation, sustainable land management practices, or wildlife conservation. Protecting the Amazon isn't just a local issue—it affects all of us. #AmazonRainforest #ClimateChange #Conservation