Human work, in planting millions of new trees, creates lovely, cool, and spiritually satisfying sanctuaries in communities normally roasting in blazing sunlight.
An excerpt.
Editorial notebook: Shades of a global warming fix
Published 12:01 am PDT Monday, August 14, 2006
To hear techies tell it, the solution to global warming rests in fancy gizmos. That's why some venture capitalists are getting very excited about wind turbines, photovoltaic batteries, methane recovery systems and hydrogen-powered cars.
That's all fine, yet there's a more low-tech way to combat global warming -- by planting trees.
Millions of 'em.
Trees not only sequester carbon dioxide, but if you plant enough in strategic locations, their leafy shade significantly reduces the power needed to cool homes and offices in the summer.
Less electricity means fewer greenhouse gases spewing from power plants and a cooler planet for everyone.
How much energy could trees save? Consider these numbers:
According to the Center for Urban Forest Research, a Davis-based institute affiliated with the U.S. Forest Service, the planting of 50 million new trees in strategic locations -- two on the west side and one on the east side of homes -- could save about 12,500 gigawatt hours of electricity in California each year once those trees reach their 15th birthday. That's equivalent to the juice generated by seven new large power plants or what is consumed by 683,000 homes each year.
Although it costs money to plant, water and maintain 50 million new trees, the payoff would be immense. Utilities could save $462 million in wholesale electricity purchases each year, and residents would save $1 billion in annual retail costs, according to the Forest Service. Peak-load demand on the grid would decrease 9 percent and air pollution would also be reduced, since utilities wouldn't need to run belching "peaker plants" to keep the power flowing.
