While world leaders argue, here’s a step you can take to fight climate change

A group of more than 30 volunteers from Texas Christian University and the American Conservation Coalition recently installed 13 carbon sequestration devices in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Japanese Garden. The devices, when fully mature, will suck dozens of pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

These “devices,” of course, were trees. Loblolly pine trees, to be exact, and they are now on display in the garden for all to see.

While beautiful to look at, these trees serve a greater purpose, too. By planting more and implementing other nature-based climate solutions, such as restoring grassland and wetlands, we can reverse the global temperature rise by sucking millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the Earth’s atmosphere.

It’s estimated that natural climate solutions such as these, if implemented properly, can account for 37% of the emissions reductions needed to meet our 2030 goals.

The phrase “natural climate solutions” can be a bit ambiguous, but these are real, actionable ways to fight climate change. Planting trees as we did is perhaps the simplest natural climate solution, but there are a variety of ways Texas can employ natural climate solutions through agriculture and ecosystem restoration.

World leaders recently gathered at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, an annual meeting on climate action, and talked about a slew of solutions that governments can institute. This year, natural climate solutions were on the agenda. And while they talked, citizens here at home were already taking action.

It may sound too simple or easy, which is probably why nature-based solutions are often forgotten in the climate conversation. But in an era when most climate-change solutions involve massive government action and trillions of dollars in spending, the simplicity of natural climate solutions is an advantage.

While some government policy may be needed to address climate change, the biggest factor that will determine our effectiveness at solving the issue lies in our local communities. In other words, it’s largely up to us.

There is a major need for citizens to be more involved in their local environments. As we planted the trees at the Botanic Garden, we felt great pride knowing that we were not only helping the environment, but planting trees that will still be there decades from now. It was a sobering moment to connect the dots on how our individual action that morning would benefit our community today and future generations as well.

If you’re concerned about climate change and its effect on our state, the power to make a difference is in your hands. Federal legislation and advocacy is important, but it’s equally important — or more so — to remind ourselves what we are fighting for.

Get involved: Plant a tree, volunteer at a community garden, or start one of your own. Natural climate solutions allow us to directly help solve climate change, an opportunity we cannot afford to pass up.