Betting on future forest carbon storage endangers Paris Agreement targets
news.mongabay.com
Banking on the capacity of global forests to continue storing huge amounts of carbon could put the Paris Agreement climate targets out of reach and incur huge economic costs. That’s the warning expressed in a new modeling study which finds the ability of forests to absorb and permanently store carbon dioxide is not a given, […]
  • The carbon storage capacity of forests is widely recognized as a crucial factor in curbing global warming and preventing climate catastrophe.
  • But a new study finds that the future potential for forest CO2 storage is being overestimated, with global forest health (along with the ability of forests to go on storing carbon) vulnerable to increasing disturbances including wildfires, disease, pests and deforestation.
  • Scientists argue that the very real threat of declining forest carbon storage capacity necessitates far faster decarbonization efforts, along with urgent action to monitor and conserve forests, and prevent widespread deforestation.
  • Delaying action by as little as five years could incur huge economic costs and jeopardize climate goals, researchers found.