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STANDARDS
CCSS: 6.EE.A.2.C, 7.EE.B.3, MP1, MP6
TEKS: 6.3D, 6.7D, 7.3A, 7.3B
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By the Numbers: 1,000,000 Trees
DEA/Albert Ceolan/De Agostini via Getty Images
Trees, like all plants, help fight climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) and converting it into oxygen. But for thousands of years, humans have cut down forests to build cities, homes, and farms. We’ve also been burning fossil fuels, which produces CO2, and Earth’s trees can’t keep up.
The good news is that we might be able to reverse the damage. Scientists found that increasing the number of trees worldwide can help offset the CO2 pollution problem. That’s why cities like London, New York City, and Shanghai have pledged to plant more than a million trees—each!
Read on to learn more about the power of trees. Then plug in the numbers to solve the equation below and reveal a final fact.
4,700
Shutterstock.com
Approximate age of one of the oldest known trees in the world, a bristlecone pine called Methuselah. It’s in California!
2016
Andy Katz/ZUMAPRESS.com/Newscom
Year New York City met its goal of planting 1 million trees!
-46
Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images
Percent change in the total number of trees on the planet since the dawn of human civilization
5,000,000,000
Estimated number of trees that would need to be planted per year to offset CO2 levels from pollution
Auscape/Universal Images Group via Getty Images (sunset)