Move To The City, Save The Rainforest

That the world's population is cramming into cities at a rapid pace has countless environmental benefits. A big one is that as people urbanize, we chop down fewer trees.

The world’s forests double as the planet’s lungs. So when it comes to a natural solution to sequestering carbon emissions, a pressing question is exactly how much air those lungs can hold. The answer is better than expected--and the unlikely reason may have to do with our increased urban living.

Last month, Science published a study led by U.S. Forest Service researcher Yude Pan that found the world’s established forests absorb 2.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year, or about a third of the total released by burning fossil fuels. This carbon sink was not only higher than expected, but actually increased between 1990 and 2007.

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