Trees absorb carbon dioxide to make food during the process of photosynthesis. Using energy from the sun, green plants break apart carbon dioxide and water molecules and rearrange the loose atoms to form sugar. Trees use sugar as food for growth and energy. Oxygen, which is what humans must inhale to survive, is left over from this process and released into the atmosphere. During the nighttime, this process is reversed.
Trees absorb oxygen and emit carbon dioxide.
By planting trees we can reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and possibly prevent global warming from happening. Scientists disagree on how much these greenhouse gases will affect the global temperature. Some scientists predict that the average global temperature could increase 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit in the next seventy years due to global warming. This may not seem like a very drastic change, but some scientists believe it is a big enough change to melt the earth's polar ice caps, leading to a rise in sea levels which could flood coastal cities around the world. A rise in temperature could be enough to endanger the crops we rely on for food.