Desertification may have retarded global warming by as much as 20%

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot recently made a surprising discovery about the abilities of forests to combat global warming.

In an article published on Friday in the journal Science, Prof. Dan Yakir and Dr. Eyal Rotenberg of the Environmental Sciences and Energy Research Department discuss their analysis of findings from the Yatir Forest research station.

By looking at the other side of the equation, the two researchers discovered that desertification was not necessarily all bad – in fact, it may have retarded global warming by as much as 20%. The desert reflects sunlight and releases infrared radiation, which has a cooling effect. And in a world in which desertification is continuing at a rate of about six million hectares a year, that news might have a significant effect on how we estimate the rates and magnitude of climate change.

Jerusalem Post