Impact of Urban Trees and Forests on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The fight against climate change has placed urban trees and forests at the heart of mitigation and adaptation strategies, to the point that tree planting is often perceived as a simple, visible, and widely accepted solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In many countries, urban greening programs are expanding, with tree-lined streets, boulevards, and public spaces, while large-scale reforestation and forest restoration initiatives are prominently featured in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This situation raises a central question: does planting trees along streets genuinely contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or … Continue reading