In the wake of the recent turn of events regarding climate change, an uproar from environmental scientists around the world has spurred the world to take action. The most popular idea currently bandied about among the general population is to plant trees to stem the rising tide of Co2 emissions. While this is a virtuous idea, planting trees is actually not a very effective way to control climate change and could actually contribute to it. Planting trees is not an adequate long-term solution to addressing climate change. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As good as the prospects may seem, planting trees is not as effective as protecting existing ones. Nearly two million trees are destroyed every day due to deforestation, causing a silent genocide that further propagates the planet's climate change. Not only would simply preventing the felling of these trees be a simpler and cheaper solution, but it would also allow existing tree populations to spread. The felling of trees releases the Co2 manifested in their physical being into the atmosphere; by cutting down the trees, we free this hidden reserve. Trees may also contribute to changing global temperatures in a more negative way than one would originally expect. It is well known that materials of darker composition tend to absorb more energy when exposed to light. This phenomenon is no different when comparing the energy absorbed and deflected by tree leaves. Being white, snow reflects energy much more than its leafy green counterparts. By planting trees in higher latitude locations, more heat is absorbed, rather than being diverted back into the atmosphere; this offsets the potential benefits of planting them in the first place. Planting trees is implausible in the long term due to the sheer volume we need to plant to offset the damage already caused by humans. The entire continental United States would have to be completely filled with trees to offset 10% of our annual carbon emissions. Completely reversing the role played by human industry would be completely unachievable simply with trees. Without sacrificing a major part of agricultural space or residential areas, this simply could not happen. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Planting trees is not a long process and appropriate a long-term solution to address climate change. While he may be in good spirits, the approach simply isn't effective enough. Given the sheer number of facilities that must be created, combined with the fact that instantiating them in the first place can be counterproductive, the idea can be debunked simply by considering the arduous task that must be undertaken. Furthermore, a much simpler alternative to creating new trees is to preserve existing ones. This solution is not only cheaper, but also prevents existing Co2 deposits from being reintroduced into the atmosphere. Despite good intentions, planting trees simply won't solve the problem.