As we struggle to grow enough food to feed the planet, we are clearing forests that are a crucial protection against the warming climate, UW-Madison researchers have found. Scientists, for the first time, analyzed the tradeoff between agricultural production and the capacity of forests and other natural ecosystems to store carbon. Without the storage capacity of forests, more carbon dioxide ? the gas that is causing the climate to warm ? is released into the atmosphere. The research is important, according to UW-Madison scientist Paul West, because it could lead to practical methods of balancing our need to grow food and efforts to slow or counter climate change.
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