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DID YOU KNOW???
TREES MAKE THE PLANET COOLER, LITERALLY
A wise woman recently pointed out to me that it always seems cooler when you’re near a tree.
Well of course, that’s the shade, I said.
No, not that, she said. Doesn’t it just seem like the tree itself is making things cooler?
I voiced some doubts.
But trees exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen, she said. Couldn’t it be the same with heat?
Well, I’ve never heard of such a thing, I told her.
BUT TURNS OUT IT’S TRUE, PEOPLE!!!
Per NASA, it’s not just trees but ALL PLANTS that can cool things around them:
“Plants also cool the landscape directly through the process known as transpiration. When the surrounding atmosphere heats up, plants will often release excess water into the air from their leaves. By releasing evaporated water, plants cool themselves and the surrounding environment.”
It’s a lot like sweating. And, when trees sweat all at the same time: “Over a forest canopy or a vast expanse of grassland, large amounts of transpiration can markedly increase water vapor in the atmosphere, causing more precipitation and cloud cover in an area. The additional cloud cover often reinforces the cooling by blocking sunlight.”
So let’s hear it for trees and plants. Our leafy brethren really do look out for us, don’t they? Yet another reason to show love to your friendly neighborhood tree non profit, eh?
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