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Which trees are most efficient at capturing CO2?
In recent years, climate change has become one of the main concerns of international public opinion. In order to avoid the possible consequences it is essential to reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and as we know, trees absorb it, however... do they all do so at the same rate? Which is the most effective species?
CO2 is a gas that is essential for life, present in our breath and even in the bubbles of carbonated drinks, however, in recent decades, its presence in the atmosphere has increased, causing alarm to most of the scientific community. It is one of the main causes of the greenhouse effect, since it retains the heat from the sun apparently causing a gradual increase in temperature.
The oceans, the lungs of the planet
Plants have, since time immemorial, been on the other side of the scales in the fragile balance of life, being responsible, through photosynthesis, for absorbing CO2 and transforming it into essential oxygen. Although at night the process is the opposite, capturing oxygen and returning CO2 into the atmosphere, the overall balance is clearly positive... until the plant or tree dies and returns the carbon stored in its trunk and leaves when it is burned or rots. However, part of it remains in the soil as sediment.
In this sense, the oceans are the main CO2 absorbents, since part of that captured by plankton and algae does not return to the atmosphere, but is lost in the depths of the ocean in the form of sediment. A complex ecosystem which some researchers warn could change as a result of climate change, turning the oceans into sources of the CO2 accumulated in their depths rather than into drains.
The most efficient trees
However, since it is not a question of leaving all of the work to the ocean, vegetation on land must also lend a hand. The Co2 absorption efficiency of a plant or tree depends on many factors, such as whether it is in a growth phase, where it is located, its size and, of course, the species it belongs to.
As such, according to a study by Seville University presented by the doctor in biology and former winner of the Energy and Climate Change Research Prize, Jesús Castillo Segura, the most effective trees in this respect are the Aleppo pine (which captures 8870kg of CO2 per year) and the Stone pine (capturing 27,180kg of CO2 per year). Amongst the most common found in cities, are the three-thorned acacia, the jacaranda, the elm and the ash.
Amongst the most common species in Spanish cities, those which consume the least CO2 are, however, the catalpa, the Judas tree and the Japanese plum tree. This research highlights the need to increase the woodland areas in urban environments since "a tree can absorb the toxic gases emitted by one hundred cars in a day", explains the expert from Seville, and it is a natural and effective way of fighting against climate change, not forgetting their aesthetic value.
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