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How trees and forests reduce risks from climate change

Across the globe, increasing tree cover is a popular solution to offset carbon emissions. Replenishing trees is only part of the answer, and scientists seek an increased role as part of a multi-layered policy approach.

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Fig. 1

Morley Read / Alamy Stock Photo

Fig. 2: A 31-year-old rainforest that regenerated naturally on cleared land used briefly for pasture in the Peje Annex at La Selva Research Station in northeastern Costa Rica.

Robin Chazdon

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Correspondence to Lisa Palmer.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Lisa Palmer is a journalist and author of Hot, Hungry Planet: The Fight to Stop a Global Food Crisis in the Face of Climate Change (St. Martin’s Press, 2017), and the National Geographic Visiting Professor of Science Communication at the George Washington University in Washington DC.

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Palmer, L. How trees and forests reduce risks from climate change. Nat. Clim. Chang. 11, 374–377 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01041-6

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