Forests play a big part in keeping our planet cool. They absorb carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases responsible for global warming.

What’s more, clearing and burning forests releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. So protecting the world’s forests does double duty in our struggle to deal with global warming.

All the countries of the United Nations, have promised to report on their greenhouse gas emissions and set up plans for reducing them. Because forests act as a big “sink” for carbon dioxide, countries need to know exactly how big their own particular “sink” is when calculating their overall emissions.

FAO’s forestry department helps them take a complete inventory of their forest resources. This includes collecting data on how much carbon their forests can absorb from the air.

Find out more about FAO’s work in forestry.

Here are some of the other things that FAO’s forestry department is doing about global warming:

Protecting forest cover

FAO’s forestry department helps countries protect their forests. It provides them with the information, advice and technical support they need to manage their forests responsibly.

A major priority is to help forest communities earn more money and escape poverty and hunger, in ways that are environmentally sustainable. It’s easy to see how this work also plays a part in the fight against global warming.

Promoting wood products

FAO doesn’t just help countries protect their forests; it also helps them promote their forest products. Using more wood products can bring economic benefits to poor forest communities, but it can also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Wait a second. How is that?

Here’s some basic science. Trees use sunlight, air, water and nutrients from the soil to grow. You don’t need any extra fuel to make wood. On the other hand, it takes a lot of fuel to produce materials like bricks, steel and plastic. So by using wood instead of energy-intensive materials, the amount of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere can actually be reduced!

Keeping the wood fires burning

To reduce global warming, the world needs to find alternatives to fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. Burning these fuels spews billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year.

One of the most important sources of renewable energy is wood. Get this: wood energy is the primary source of energy for over 2 billion people, mainly in developing countries.

Of course, burning wood also releases carbon dioxide. But when the trees are planted to replace the wood used for fuel, they absorb carbon dioxide. This means that carbon cycles through the atmosphere without accumulating, so the net effect on global warming is zero. The key is to make fuel wood production sustainable. And that’s what FAO’s forestry department has been helping countries achieve.

Find out more about FAO’s work to develop sources of clean energy.