Trees provide a service to the life of all species on Earth. They are considered the lungs of our planet, and to some scientists now its heart as well. By continuing the rapacious rate of deforestation we are now sustaining globally we are contributing not only to the destruction of the natural beauty of our only home, but the exacerbation of CO2 levels that are contributing to the following effects of climate change that can be brought down to an acceptable level through the proper remediation process of providing carbon sinks:

1. Glacier melt causing floods, mudslides, and what is now considered a dangerous effect on water supplies for billions of people who depend on those glaciers for sustenance. Also, destruction of the Arctic ice caps at a rate three times faster than scientifically predicted by the IPCC which act as the mirror and climate balance of our planet. Without this mirror to reflect the rays of the sun we are risking passing what scientists call a "tipping point" of runaway climate change which will have catastrophic effects on this planet and our relationship to it.

2. Sea level rise due to melting ice caps and oversaturation of CO2 in our oceans. Forty eight islands have already seen the effects of sea level rise regarding destroying their homes, their traditions, and their ability to live. Many of these low lying islands are located in the Pacific and are only the first wave of islands and states to feel these effects. Scientists predict that within fifty years the Northeast coast of the United States may also be feeling these same effects due to sea level rise. If we do not curtail the rate of emissions of CO2 in our atmosphere to an acceptable level (350 PPM-450 PPM) we risk putting millions of people in danger of experiencing the same fate. Hundreds of millions of climate refugees would be catastrophic and cause the breakdown of society as we know it.

3. Wildfires due not only in part to normal conditions we see in certain areas yearly, but now more pervasive and destructive wildfires brought on by excessive drought. Scientists now predict that wildfires will become more intense and destructive as the world warms, which will then contribute to the greenhouse gases and lack of carbon sinks that precipitate climate change.

These factors along with other factors such as species invasion, species extinction, change in rainfall patterns which affect agriculture and food production, and evaporation of soil moisture and lower water tables in many rivers around the world must now lead us to formulating solutions that are timely, simple, economically viable, and that can improve the climate balance of our planet as well as provide much needed nutrients for our soil, water, food, sustenance, shelter, and a way to fight deforestation.

http://www.gopetition.com/online/27222.html

My initiative Plant America will seek to do this by requesting a program where one day would be set aside for all schools across America to go out and plant trees. In Macedonia last year for example, it's people came out and planted six million trees in one day. There is absolutely no reason why we can't do it threefold here. Involving our students will also get them out into nature, give them education about trees and the environment, and hopefully instill in them a love for this planet and their communities.

This could also be expanded to a "Johnny Appleseed" type of movement where college students as well as anyone who wishes to volunteer could become involved in montoring the growth of the trees planted in their communities, and work to plant more trees to offset the rapacious rate of deforestation that is now contributing thirty percent or more of the Co2 that is exacerbating climate change. Trees also work to bring water to the roots and the surface, which aids in alleviating water scarcity.

Please read the petition at the link and if you agree, please sign it. It will be sent to President Obama and Sec Salazar at the Dept. of the Interior.

There is no downside to planting trees and they are a guaranteed carbon sink. If we remove the lungs out of a human body it cannot breathe and it dies. So it is for our planet. She must breathe, and this is one way we can bring that breath to her and also show the world that the US is ready to lead by balancing our climate in an economical simple way in order to work for peace and sustainability.