Plant a Tree and Save the Planet
Planting a tree will not save the planet literally. It will not solve the environmental problems and much less reverse the climate change, however, it is much more than just a symbolic gesture and manifestation of dedication to making the world a friendlier place.
Trees have a major influence on both local and global climate as they literally breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen which means that the more the trees the cleaner the air. Furthermore, they evaporate moisture into the atmosphere which in turn helps cool the air and at the same time absorb great amounts of sunlight and warm the ground. Obviously, only the world’s largest forests have the power to influence the climate directly but every new planted tree makes a difference, especially locally and for you personally.
When mature, a tree will provide you a cool shade during the hot summer days, provide a shelter to birds and other wildlife species, reduce soil erosion, block cold winter winds, filter the air and in the end, add a touch of nature and beauty to your home and property. Even more, a few trees planted in the right location will even help you save energy and as a result, further decrease carbon dioxide emissions and save you a great deal of money on cooling and heating at the same time. Here is how.
Ideally, your home should receive plenty of direct sunlight during the winter and as little as possible during the summer. This will do much more than just reduce your electricity prices. To be able to create a shade for your home during the summer and provide it a lot of direct sunlight during the winter and at the same time block the cold winds, you need to watch for the cardinal directions as well as for the trees themselves. For the best results, plant deciduous trees on the east and west as close as to your house as possible (but not too close though). During the summer, their crown shade you house but it will not block sunlight during the winter when you need it to reduce the costs of heating. Then, you should completely close the north area of your property with coniferous trees such as spruce for instance to block the cold north wind.
A few trees may not be able to save the planet but they most certainly help the efforts to make the Earth a green planet again in the true meaning of the word. To reverse the climate change and leave the future generations an inhabitable planet, we will have to dramatically change the existing energy system which is the number one cause of the weather extremes we are already witnessing. The thing is that most of the world’s energy is generated by fossil fuel burning which in turn is responsible for as much as 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Planting that tree is without a doubt a good start but it is far from enough from changing the course of the future.