Imagine forests as giant sponges that drink up CO2 like a thirsty kid drinks lemonade. During the day, trees use sunlight to eat CO2 and grow, this is called photosynthesis. But at night, they breathe out some of it, just like humans do. However, because they are busy eating CO2 during the day more than they breathe it out at night, forests end up absorbing more CO2 overall.
Examples
- A tree drinks in CO2 during the day like a kid drinking lemonade at lunchtime.
- At night, the same tree breathes out some CO2, but not as much as it drank during the day.
- Over time, forests store more carbon than they release.
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See also
- Why Do Forests Act Like a Giant Lung?
- Why Do Forests Absorb More CO₂ at Night?
- Why Do Forests Act Like Big Green Lungs?
- Why Do Forests Make Such a Difference for Climate Change?
- Why Do Forests Act Like a Giant Breath Holder?