National Geographic: Forests Are the Forgotten Climate Solution, Experts Say

Can protecting forests help save the planet? Environmentalists are hoping the answer is yes. They're hoping to reach a solution they're calling 30x30. It's a target set specifically to reach goals set forth by the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce carbon emissions, and the organizations attending the Global Climate Action Summit think sustainably managed forests and land can meet 30 percent of the targeted emissions reduction.

What can forests do to reduce carbon emissions?

Large forests are capable of sucking up large amounts of carbon. Swaths of forest like those found in the Amazon, the largest forested region on the planet, act like a sink to remove emissions from the atmosphere.

“This is a place where we can scale now and scale quickly,” says Nigel Purvis, CEO of Climate Advisers. “It has been a tiny part of the political attention and media attention. It's really the forgotten solution.”