- What if we plant trees, will that stop the climate change? Planting trees is good for many reasons and also needs to be done to reestablish well functioning ecosystems and a good climate, but it will not stop the climate change. Planting trees mainly moves carbon within the biological cycle. When the tree dies and decomposes, the carbon will be released to the atmosphere again. To permanently stop the climate change, the remaining fossil fuels on our planet need to be left buried in the ground.
- What if we drive cars that use fossil fuels but are more fuel efficient? It will not stop climate change, only slow down the process. If we continue to use the fuel efficient cars, the process will be delayed some years but the end result with a changed climate will be the same.
- What if we compensate carbon emissions? Depends how compensation is done. If the compensation leads to that less fossil fuels are burnt (e.g. some fossil fuels are left in the ground), then it helps stopping the climate change. But if the compensation is used for other things, it will hardly help to stop the climate change.
- Does burning wood change the climate? No burning wood or other bio fuels only moves carbon within the biological cycle. Therefore this can up to a certain limit be done without affecting the climate. A new tree will soon grow up capturing the carbon released by the burning process. However, if the yearly consumption of wood exceeds the annual growth rate, the climate will be affected as trees and forests are the foundation for well functioning ecosystems.