We've discovered the world's trees absorb methane - so forests are even more important in the climate fight than we thou

[Judi Lynn]

We’ve discovered the world’s trees absorb methane – so forests are even more important in the climate fight than we thought

Published: July 24, 2024 5.04pm BST

Tree bark in the world’s forests absorbs the greenhouse gas methane, my colleagues and I have demonstrated for the first time on a global scale – a discovery that could have big implications for tackling climate change.

As trees photosynthesise, their leaves take up carbon dioxide (CO₂ and lock it away as biomass in their trunks and branches providing a long-term store of carbon. But now, our large-scale study proves that there’s another way that trees absorb greenhouse gases – so forests can provide even more climate benefits than previously thought.

Methane has contributed about a third of the observed climate warming since preindustrial times. Concentrations of methane in the atmosphere have been rising rapidly for the best part of two decades. That’s a real problem for Earth’s climate because methane traps much more heat in the atmosphere than the equivalent amount of CO₂. But while CO₂ can last in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, methane has a lifetime of around ten years.

This short atmospheric lifetime means that any changes to sources of methane or processes that remove methane from the atmosphere (known as methane sinks) can have rapid effects. If removal is enhanced, this can be a quick climate win helping to mitigate escalating climate change.

More:
https://theconversation.com/weve-discovered-the-worlds-trees-absorb-methane-so-forests-are-even-more-important-in-the-climate-fight-than-we-thought-235233