Raymond Pierrehumbert

Professor, University of Oxford

Expertise: Planetary climate

Details:

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CLAIMS REVIEWED

Deserts cool the planet by reflecting solar radiation to space; vegetated areas have an overall warming effect, so planting trees in deserts doesn’t necessarily cool the planet

CLAIM
"Deserts are heat producers, reflecting around 60% to 70% of the solar energy that falls on them straight back into the atmosphere."; "If we want to do something about global warming, we have to do something about deserts."

SOURCE: Ties Van der Hoeven, Steve Rose, The Guardian

Published: 09 Apr 2021

VERDICT