May Muthuri
A eureka moment for the planet: we’re finally planting trees again
China plans to plant forests the size of Ireland. Latin American countries have pledged to restore 20m hectares of degraded forest and African countries more than 100m hectares. India is to plant 13m hectares, and on a single day last year 1.5 million people planted 66m trees in Madhya Pradesh alone. Trees make our lives better in unquantifiable […] Continue Reading
Why Burning Trees for Energy Harms the Climate
Trees are renewable, so why not let them count under the proposed revisions to the EU renewable energy target? Here we answer this and other questions to demonstrate why burning trees for energy is not inherently climate-friendly. What is the EU renewable energy target and its relevance to trees? The European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive establishes an overall […] Continue Reading
Vietnam: An Up-and-Coming Clean Energy Leader?
Vietnam has a significant challenge ahead: power its remarkable economic growth with less polluting and more affordable clean energy. This is no small task. According to the Vietnam Business Forum, the country’s current energy plan would increase coal use from 14 gigawatts (GW) to 55GW by 2030 and require 10 million tons of coal to be imported […] Continue Reading
Talanoa Dialogue: Jump-Starting Climate Action in 2018
This year opens a new phase for the Paris Agreement and a historic opportunity to jumpstart action to limit the most dangerous impacts of climate change and set the world on course to a carbon-neutral, sustainable future by 2050. With the official launch of the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue in January, countries are now embarking on the first […] Continue Reading
Agroforestry systems may play vital role in mitigating climate change
Agroforestry could play an important role in mitigating climate change because it sequesters more atmospheric carbon in plant parts and soil than conventional farming, according to Penn State researchers. An agricultural system that combines trees with crops and livestock on the same plot of land, agroforestry is especially popular in developing countries because it allows […] Continue Reading
How climate-smart is the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration method?
The method of restoring degraded lands efficiently contributes to climate change mitigation. Integrating trees in agricultural systems helps rural communities adapt to climate change, mitigate its impact and improve their livelihoods. Particularly for farmers in the Sahel, trees growing on agricultural land play an important role: they do not only prevent soil erosion but provide a wide range […] Continue Reading