Now Reading: Taklamakan restoration captures more carbon than it emits, study finds
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Taklamakan restoration captures more carbon than it emits, study finds
Taklamakan restoration captures more carbon than it emits, study finds
Satellite observations suggest vegetation planted along China’s Taklamakan Desert is now absorbing more carbon dioxide than it releases, according to a study published in PNAS. The finding concerns restored areas on the…
The Story in Brief
Satellite observations suggest vegetation planted along China’s Taklamakan Desert is now absorbing more carbon dioxide than it releases, according to a study published in PNAS. The finding concerns restored areas on the desert’s margins, not the sandy interior. China’s Three-North Shelterbelt Programme, launched in 1978, uses trees, shrubs and shelterbelts to limit wind erosion and protect farmland and settlements.
The project depends on irrigation supplied by rivers fed by snow and glacier melt from nearby mountain ranges. Scientists caution that the vegetation remains sparse and resembles dry shrubland, rather than tropical forest. The carbon gains may also be difficult to replicate in deserts without reliable water, while past planting drives in northern China faced criticism over high water demand and poor survival.
The Indian Opinion
The triumphalist claim that tree planting has turned a desert into a climate solution goes too far. So does the opposing claim that every afforestation effort is wasteful. This result applies to irrigated desert edges with mountain runoff, not all arid regions. The practical test is whether carbon uptake continues without worsening groundwater stress as water supplies change. Future measurements should track both emissions and the project’s water use.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
