Text 1: Climate scientist Park argues that aggressive reforestation is essential to limit warming. Trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow; planting billions of new trees, she contends, could draw significant amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere over the coming decades.
Text 2: Climate scientist Singh agrees that reforestation has benefits but argues against treating it as a primary climate strategy. The carbon stored in trees, she notes, is vulnerable to fire, drought, and pests in a warming world; planting trees does not address ongoing fossil fuel emissions; and poorly planned afforestation can replace native ecosystems with monoculture plantations.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- A
whether the climate is warming.
- B
whether trees grow.
- C
whether trees absorb carbon dioxide.
- Dcheck_circle
whether reforestation should be treated as a primary climate strategy.
Explanation
Both accept that trees absorb CO2 and that climate is warming. They differ on reforestation's strategic priority. B captures the dispute.