A Natural Solution
Protecting Acres to Slow Climate Change
Human activities are the primary drivers of global climate change, but we cannot hope to slow the climate crisis without nature.
From the depths of the Amazon rainforest to the view beyond your front door, climate change is one of the greatest threats facing all life on Earth.
Already, impacts from climate change can be seen around the world. Rising temperatures increase the risk for and severity of drought, wildfire, and extreme storms. Science shows that climate change was responsible in part for the wildfires that tore across South America in 2024, as well as the flames that destroyed approximately 18,000 structures near Los Angeles in early 2025. Changes in winter snowfall and summer heatwaves can also be linked to climate change, as can the increasing risk of floods, the spread of some diseases, and even worsening seasonal allergies.
Most scientists agree we must significantly reduce global emissions of carbon dioxide( CO 2) equivalents by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. But alternative energy production and emissions reductions cannot solve the climate crisis alone. To achieve this goal, we will need to focus on natural climate solutions: increasing the planet’ s ability to safeguard and sequester carbon by protecting and restoring ecosystems.
Rainforests, mangroves, and other tropical forests are a vital part of the solution. When undisturbed, these habitats absorb and store vast quantities of climatechanging carbon in their biomass— living and dead trees and other plants— and soil. Even more carbon can be safeguarded when damaged habitats are protected and allowed to recover. The regrowing trees and other plants in these recovering ecosystems pull carbon from the atmosphere to support their growth, sequestering it within their biomass.
Recent research shows that natural climate solutions such as these will be essential to slowing climate change, providing up to a third of the needed emissions reductions by 2030.
Aerial view of a superstorm | Triff
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