Ranking and Results by 2050

• 61.23 gigatons reduced CO2
• Global cost and savings too variable to be determined

Labeled under the section LAND USE, is the fifth most effective means of drawing down carbon to our earth. Tropical forests are those located within 23.5 ° north or south of the equator. They have suffered extensive clearing, burning, and degradation in recent decades, especially this year. Once covering 12% of the world’s landmass, they now cover just 5 %. Even tho destruction still continues, restoration, both passive and intentional, is now a growing trend.

With tropical flora and fauna returned, interactions between organisms and species revive, and the tropical forest regains it’s multidimensional roles. A wonderful discovery is that our forests are more resiliant than we originally thought! In a median time of 66 years, tropical forests can recover 90 % of the biomass that old growth landscapes contain. Regrowth can be passive or active. We can either stop cutting down and just let what’s there regrow, or we can actively plant and cultivate native seedlings.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has a forest landscape restoration (FLR) framework, making restoration a collaborative process that starts and ends on the ground. Active forest restoration can cost $400 to $1,200 per acre. Restoring 865 million acres of forest between now and 2030 could cost $350 billion and as much as $1 trillion. Because forest restoration is such a potent solution, commitments and funding need to be a global priority. We need to respect land rights and tenure, especially those of indigenous people. We need to ensure effective enforcement of strong policies and be well equipped and technically adept.

— from Paul Hawken’s book “Drawdown”