Deep snows prevent the release of carbon dioxide from boreal forests, but when the snows are shallower it can escape, making global heating almost impossible to stop. However, reindeer and their wild counterparts caribou greatly reduce this problem, provided they are allowed to graze freely, new research indicates. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The most frightening scenarios for the global climate involve an initial warming from burning fossil fuels changing ecosystems to release carbon trapped in plants or soils. This would cause more warming, even if humanity’s emissions were to turn off, creating a runaway effect we'd have almost no chance to stop.

The Arctic tundra and northern forests are not the only locations

See Full Page