Foliage for the Future: Using Urban Reforestation to Sequester Carbon

Abstract

At the start of the 21st century, it was estimated that 50% of the Earth’s population lived in urban cities (Zipperer, Northrop & Andreu, 2020). As populations continue to surge in cities, it is evident that a problem has emerged. Forests are being destroyed for urban expansion. Each year, over 32 million acres of forested land are destroyed to be developed into urban areas (Zipperer, Northrop & Andreu, 2020), which can have significant negative impacts on the climate crisis, specifically regarding its effects on carbon in the atmosphere. Trees and plants are able to sequester carbon through the process of photosynthesis, and when forested areas are destroyed, the process of photosynthesis cannot be performed (Reforestation, n.d.). One way this can be combated is by replenishing vegetation in deforested areas. Research was gathered on this topic by synthesizing original research experiments and analyzing literature. As a result, it was concluded that reforestation is one of the best methods of sequestering carbon.