Almost all the creatures on Earth need the life-giving oxygen that trees and plants provide , so it makes perfect sense that we humans would take great care of them , doesn ’ t it ? Except that ’ s not actually the case . Since humans began farming , at least 12,000 years ago , we have destroyed half of the world ’ s forests , and we ’ re not showing many signs of stopping . Every day , more ancient forest is chopped down for timber , for farmland or to make way for housing . We ’ re destroying the natural world and stripping away the wilderness that we all depend on .

So , what can we do about it ?

Very absorbing

Everything that breathes depends on carbon sinks . These are systems that act like sponges , sucking up carbon dioxide and keeping it stored , out of the atmosphere .

Oceans – I sea you !

The world ’ s oceans are carbon sinks . Phytoplankton ( tiny floating plant-like organisms ) absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen – around half of the oxygen we breathe . As phytoplankton sink , they carry carbon dioxide down to the ocean floor , where it ’ s stored . But too much carbon dioxide in the oceans causes the water to become too acidic , which has a troubling effect on these hard-bodied ocean-dwellers .

A tree-mendous natural resource

Forests are carbon sinks with a similar mechanism . Trees and other plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their trunks , stems and roots . As trees and plants die and turn to soil , carbon is also stored . But when trees are felled , the carbon dioxide they were storing is released back into the atmosphere and this speeds up climate change .

Many scientists believe that one of the most important ways to extract excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere , and reverse the effects of global warming , is to trap it in carbon sinks . In short , we need more land-based carbon storage – more forests – and more trees .

AQUILA Magazine Earth Issue plus resources | Page 6