Trees are often a central topic when it comes to discussions of global warming or climate change, but what role do they really play and how important are they? Here are three different recent articles on trees that span the debate:

Fine for Burning Down Eden’s Forests: 11 Cents: When Madagascar drifted away from Africa some 165 million years ago, wildlife on the island spun off on its own unique evolutionary path, producing the world’s only lemurs, as well as dozens of amphibian and bird species found nowhere else on earth. That unique wildlife, which was only discovered by humans 2,000 years ago, has prompted many to refer to the island as an Eden-like remnant of the natural world as it was before human contact.

Trees Are Not The Answer To Climate Change: What was once seen as the solution to all our CO2 problems, the ability of trees to soak up anthropogenic carbon dioxide, has itself been hindered by global warming. A 20-year analysis of 30 sites in the frozen north has discovered that trees ability to take in CO2 is weakening. Whereas once it was assumed that just by planting more trees we could slow down the climate change tide. These results tell us unquestionably that we need to stop passing the buck, and stop creating CO2.

Trees absorbing less CO2 as world warms, study finds: The ability of forests to soak up man-made carbon dioxide is weakening, according to an analysis of two decades of data from more than 30 sites in the frozen north. The finding published today is crucial, because it means that more of the CO2 we release will end up affecting the climate in the atmosphere rather than being safely locked away in trees or soil.

Electric scooters are something we’ve come to expect, just like hybrid cars and electric buses, but what about a solar airplane? Yes, the jokes about cloudy days in the sky will no doubt abound, but the endeavor is entirely serious. From concept to construction, the Solar Impulse has been hailed as a savior—the first major attempt to fly a plane without fuel, with eco-eyes set on a sun-powered trip around the globe. And for record-setting adventurer Bertrand Piccard Monday’s unveiling of its prototype was a long time coming: He showed off a mock-up of the Solar Impulse at the 2005 Paris Airshow, but now the 201-ft. plane is set for a test flight next fall. What’s next, a wind-powered submarine?

As soon as you think you know it all you’re bound to find out something new. One of the biggest problems with understanding and debating environmental issues is that people often don’t have their facts straight when they go into a discussion. New facts and ways of understanding them can jar the complacent mind into reevaluating what they assume to be true, and these are no exceptions. Here are just a few interesting ones to start with.

We are experiencing warmer years than ever, our actions cause irreversible damage to the environment. Each year tens of thousands of species go extinct, deserts are advancing and taking over the land. But there are certain shocking facts on the environment far more serious but not known to many. Without further ado, here are GreenExpander’s 20 Shocking Facts on the Environment. Scared enough? Good! Here are some great facts about recycling to follow up with.

Remember that amazing device from Back to the Future that converted garbage into fuel? Nowadays that isn’t as far-fetched as it once was. Everything from liquor and saltwater to diapers to landfills are being used to generate alternative sources of power that run equipment, vehicles and buildings around the world!

Confiscated Booze Converted into Bus-Powering Biogas: nearly 200,000 gallons of smuggled alcohol is snagged by authorities on its way into Sweden each year. Instead of simply pouring it down the drain, however, authorities have come up with an alternative use for all of the confiscated beverages. The biogas created from the mixed cocktail of smuggled goods is used to power a variety of vehicles, including buses an a train. In this win-win situation, customs is glad to be rid of the excess liquid and the country benefits from the fuel produced as a result of the process.

Dirty Diapers Turned into Viable Diesel: one company has a brilliant (albeit offbeat) idea for turning what would normally be landfill material into cost-effective, synthetic diesel fuel. Approximately 30,000 tons of diapers will be annually transformed into over 10,000 tons of diesel fuel at jut 50 cents per liter. Larger schemes to transform a variety of to-be-landfilled materials have come up short, due to “some of the issues that come up [in relationship to] the consistency of the material you’re putting through. One of the beauties of the diaper is that it is going to be a very consistent input. The other beauty of it is because this whole thing works in a closed system, there are no emissions.”

Saltwater Burned into Hydrogen and Oxygen: Four years ago, inspiration struck in the middle of the night. A researcher decided to try using radio waves to kill cancer cells. Instead, John Kanzius discovered that his radio frequency generator could release the oxygen and hydrogen from saltwater and create an incredibly intense flame. His wife Marianne heard the noise and found her husband inventing a radio frequency generator with her pie pans. Experts say his invention could turn into “a steam engine, a steam turbine. That could become a car engine if you wanted it to be.” The following interview shows the process in action:

Methane Gas Siphoned from Garbage Dumps: decomposing waste gives off methane, which can be cleverly harvested rather than merely wasted. The increased interest in salvaging this valuable fuel source is also due in part to the environmental impact of burning it off, which is the traditional method of preventing dangerous gas buildups. Recently, researches have gone so far as to propose and implement methods of increasing methane production within a closed landfill system to get as much fuel as possible from the decomposition process. More information on gas-from-trash available here and here.

Vehicles Powered by Vegetable Oil and Ammonia: on a smaller scale, industrious individuals have used some unlikely materials to power test vehicles, though their small-time successes could have a larger impact if more widely adopted. One experimental truck has been converted to run on ammonia. The result: cheaper fuel, lower emissions and better guess mileage. Meanwhile, a lawyer in Massachusetts purchased a used ambulance, painted it green (for a groan-worthy visual pun effect), rigged it to run on vegetable oil and now gets to travel over 300 miles for just $3.

With elections looming ever closer in the US, more and more politicians are trying to establish strong positions in the political ecosphere. Of course in many regards the US is still a ways behind the rest of the world in terms of environmental policy. However, other surprising giants like China are even jumping into the fray, suggesting that even the world’s more reluctantly green super-powers are getting into the game.

With Dingell On Board, Dems Reach a Deal to Raise Fuel Economy: With oil hovering around $100 a barrel, even the recalcitrant congressman from Michigan, John D. Dingell, who had previously opposed increasing mileage standards, can see the wisdom of improving fuel economy. So with Dingell on board (pun intended), Congress was able to announce late last night a proposal that would improve overall fleet efficiency by 40% by 2020.

British Prime Minister Backs New Nuclear Stations: The prime minister’s speech at the national conference of the CBI emphasized his belief that nuclear power stations have excellent potential in fighting climate change and improving energy security. The government had launched a public consultation on the issue which recently finished, and Brown said an official announcement will be made early next year.

Australian town to run on solar power in 2 years: A sun-drenched town in Australia’s north hopes to use only solar power in two years after being chosen as the site for a solar thermal power station. Remote Cloncurry, which boasts recording Australia’s hottest day, would be able to generate electricity on rare cloudy days and at night from the station, which runs off heat stored in graphite blocks.

China Goes Big on Wind: Everything we hear about China seems to be BIG. Big numbers of people, big numbers of cars, pollution, quantity of food, and so on. Now, a new report out by the Worldwatch Institute says that China is going big in another way: renewable energy.