Worried about deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and global climate change? Relax. A scientist at Columbia University has come up with a solution: synthetic trees. Klaus Lackner says his fake tree would suck carbon dioxide from the air, as plants do during photosynthesis, thereby helping cleanse the atmosphere of the leading greenhouse gas. According to Lackner, one synthetic tree could remove 90,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, roughly equal to taking 15,000 cars off the road. The trees could be “planted” anywhere, including on lawns to balance out individual and family CO2 production. Lackner thinks carbon sequestration will be a critical part of any solution to climate change, because worldwide use of fossil fuels is unlike to dramatically decline anytime soon. However, he acknowledges that his tree lacks the aesthetic appeal of the original variety: “It looks like a goal post with Venetian blinds.”
