Monday, May 17, 2021

Nature's place in the race to zero emissions

Here's a piece I had the pleasure of editing for Nature, which attempts to model and quantify how much the natural world (such as forests, seaweeds, etc) can reduce the planet's temperature rise by soaking up CO2.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01241-2

Their conclusion: while natural systems play a big and vital role in the fight against climate change (we can't get to net zero emissions without them), it's actually surprising how little they can pull down the peak temperature if we're aiming to top out at 1.5C temperature rise. The reason: there just isn't enough time for them to have a huge impact. 

So, the authors argue, we should be thinking about the natural world as a long-term solution to climate change, not a short term fix. And that means making sure that these projects are really designed to work well for the climate, biodiversity, and local peoples, over the long haul. Projects to plant trees for their carbon-soaking abilities, for example, should be careful not to destroy valuable natural landscapes in the process, or to upset local livelihoods. They need to be sustainable.


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