Forests and climate
From Envirowiki
Growing plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it via photosynthesis into oxygen (O2), and carbon, which goes into creating new cells. At the end of their life, plants can rot, releasing carbon dioxide or methane or burn releasing carbon dioxide. Some of the carbon in the plant will also be added to the soil, and effectively be stored there.
Dead matter that is covered in water only partially rots and becomes peat. Over long periods of time, plant matter can be compressed (usually after being washed into a water way and then buried in soil and silt) into coal, and effectively trapped in the lithosphere, until brought to the surface again by tectonic movement, or coal mining.
[edit] 1 Impact on climate change
Deforestation (ie. by burning or clearing) directly contributes to climate change by releasing carbon into the atmosphere. It can also release soil carbon, depending on the specific forest.
Growing new forests absorbs carbon, until the forest is mature, then regional and ecosystem differences will decide how much carbon continues to be absorbed or released. Historically, humans have contributed to a massive net loss of forests, so growing new forests is not likely to affect a net decrease in carbon big enough to cover carbon emissions since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Globally, deforestation (total removal of forest cover) accounts for 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions largely originate in heavily forested non-Annex I nations like Brazil, Congo, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
[edit] 2 Current action
The Coalition of Rainforest Nations[1] has put forward proposals for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) to the UNFCCC via funding from Annex I countries.
Whether this funding should be provided through an offset mechanism -- like the Clean Development Mechanism -- or via incentive funding is still being discussed.
[edit] 3 External Articles
External articles about REDD
