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Free tree for every household in Wales

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woodland.Image source, Getty Images

Every household in Wales will be offered a free tree to plant in an effort to tackle climate change.

People will be allowed to either plant the tree in their gardens or have the tree added to woodlands on their behalf. About 1.3 million trees will be made available by the Welsh government as part of this.

Trees help the environment because they absorb carbon dioxide - a greenhouse gas which causes global warming.

However, scientists have debated how much of an impact tree planting in the United Kingdom is actually going make.

The government argues that planting more trees is not only essential to fighting climate change but that it will also increase people's wellbeing, help to reduce flooding and create more eco-friendly jobs.

We want to know what you think. Is planting trees enough to stop climate change? Could the government be doing something else? Let us know in the comments section below.

Read more about climate change here:

Why are trees good for the environment?

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Image caption,

Deputy climate change minister Lee Waters (pictured) thinks the initiative is needed to tackle the climate emergency

Climate change is having a significant impact on the planet, but trees can play a really important role in tackling some of the effects.

It's because they take in carbon dioxide - or CO2 - during photosynthesis.

CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned and these gases trap heat from the sun, warming up the Earth and causing temperatures to rise.

Trees do a fantastic job at absorbing CO2, so the more trees there are, the better this could be for the environment!

Why are scientists debating the importance of tree planting in the UK?

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Scientists agree that trees can play a significant role in stopping dangerous climate change. However, the trees have to be planted in the right places.

The best place to plant new trees is in tropical climates, where trees grow fastest and trap the most CO2.

In contrast, planting trees in snowy regions near the poles is likely to cause a net warming. That means the amount of greenhouse gas produced is more than the amount removed from the atmosphere.

Scientists believe that planting trees in middle climates - like that of the UK, much of Europe and parts of the US - may have no net effect on climate.