A simple climate crisis solution? Plant trees
For more than two centuries, a 45-acre patch of land on the northwest tip of Hawaii’s Big Island has been turning into an arid wasteland. The sandalwood forest that once filled the area was torn down by loggers in the 19th century and animal grazing has prevented the emergence of new trees that would take their place. With little rainfall and no tree cover, the soil slowly dried out and the land became barren. Around 90 per cent of all Hawaii’s tropical dry forests have followed a similar path, leaving just a handful of these rare ecosystems scattered across the state.
