Forests have limited carbon sequestration potential

Forests have limited carbon sequestration potential

Subject :Environment

Section: Climate change

More on the News:

• Researchers have investigated the natural limits to additional carbon accumulation in the biomass of forests in the hypothetical absence of all direct human forest management activities.
• Under current climatic conditions and the removal of all forest management activities, existing forests could increase biomass by 44.1 petagrams of carbon. This represents 15% more carbon, which would only offset about four years of carbon dioxide under current emission rates.

Carbon sequestration:

• Carbon sequestration refers to the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and preventing it from being released back into the atmosphere. It plays a crucial role in mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing the carbon cycle.
• Carbon sequestration is the long-term storage of carbon in various reservoirs, such as forests, soil, oceans, and geological formations, to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
• Natural ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and oceans, act as important carbon sinks by absorbing and storing carbon through processes like photosynthesis and biological activity. Preserving and restoring these ecosystems is crucial for enhancing carbon sequestration.
• Planting new forests (afforestation) or restoring degraded forests (reforestation) can significantly increase carbon sequestration. Trees absorb CO2 through photosynthesis, storing carbon in their biomass and in the soil.
• Agricultural practices and land management techniques that enhance soil health, such as conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and cover cropping, can increase soil organic carbon and sequester significant amounts of carbon.
• Blue carbon refers to the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes. Protecting and restoring these habitats is important for preserving their carbon sequestration capacity.
• Carbon capture and storage technologies involve capturing CO2 emissions from power plants, industrial facilities, and other sources, and then storing it in underground geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers.
• Direct air capture is a technology that directly removes CO2 from the atmosphere using specialized machines. The captured CO2 can be stored underground or used for various purposes, such as enhanced oil recovery or the production of synthetic fuels.

Carbon sink: https://optimizeias.com/meeting-carbon-sink-target/