Can tree bark help fight climate change?

Amidst the increasingly severe climate change crisis, scientists are continuously searching for new solutions to mitigate the impacts of the greenhouse effect. A recent study from the University of Birmingham (UK) has discovered that the bark of trees worldwide has the ability to absorb methane from the atmosphere. This is considered a new direction in the fight against climate change.

Researchers measured the amount of methane absorbed by hundreds of tree trunks in forests stretching from the Amazon and Panama, to Sweden and forests near Oxford (England). Results showed that the higher they measured up the tree trunk, the stronger the removal of methane. Researchers estimate that tree bark can absorb 25-50 million tons of methane from the atmosphere each year, primarily from tropical forests.

Tree bark could absorb 25-50 million tons of methane annually. (Photo: Pinterest)

The method was as follows: researchers used a plastic chamber wrapped around the tree trunk and then connected it to a laser-based methane analyzer.

Therefore, this discovery is very significant in the current context as the world is seeking effective and sustainable solutions to combat climate change. Utilizing the methane absorption capacity of tree bark can become part of the global greenhouse gas reduction strategy.

Tropical forests, originally known as the “green lungs” of the Earth, once again demonstrate their crucial role in maintaining climate balance. Protecting and restoring tropical forests not only helps protect biodiversity but is also an effective measure in the fight against climate change!

Source: Tuoi Tre Newspaper