There have been a number of threads in this category lately. In this vein, here is a Guardian article for those interested:
What happens to the world if forests stop absorbing carbon? Ask Finland
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/15/finland-emissions-target-forests-peatlands-sinks-absorbing-carbon-aoe
I saw these articles and i think it’s a really important topic but the article frames it kind of oddly. it isn’t that forests don’t absorb carbon any more. The areas in question seem to include planted tree farms and peaty wetlands. With tree farms or tree planting in general, it’s well established that it doesn’t work well for carbon capture (or other ecosystem services) and the plantations often experience a collape as they get older. I think this is part of what is happening here. Similar ‘ecosystem’ collapse in vast planted tree areas in Canada are a big part of the fires that have darkened the sky the past few summer over much of the continent and beyond. Tree farms are an awful idea. In regards to peat bogs, the article says that disturbance including continued peat mining (!) is damaging the peat bogs which causes them to emit methane, which is even worse than carbon. In addition warming temperatures and other climactic changes are harming the bogs. Damage to/loss of peatlands is a huge factor in climate change and rarely addressed. It’s definitely longer-term peat storage than forests. And there’s the magic holy grail of forested peatlands, which are the best of both worlds and, of course, are being ruined all over the place. In my opinion the answers here are clear - protect, restore, and possibly even create peatlands (if we can figure out how), same with intact forests that have a natural species compostiion rather than tree farms. I’ve heard in Iceland, which has great geothermal potential as well as lots of water and wind movement that can generate power… their contribution to climate change from damaged, ditched, and drained peatlands is more than all of their fossil fuel use combined. In Iceland there’s lots of restoration potential as less than 20% of their peatland is in active agricultural use. But others need to start restoring peatland, fast.
Sorry i don’t have papers to link to for this stuff, i don’t have a good memory for that.
As you mention a good part of our forests are now plantations, primary forests with large old trees are becoming extinct, even in protected areas there is more exploitation, logging… at least from I’m seeing in eastern Europe and Asia and I’m sure it’s the same in Africa and South America.
Same for peatlands, they are disappearing even faster than forests, mostly drained to be converted to agriculture.
The point is that world’s population is growing as fast as ever (I’m talking real numbers, not % rates) so all these people need to build larger cities, roads, they need more food, etc.
It’s not only about carbon, the WWF reports a 73% decline in wildlife populations in 50 years, to the point that 95% of all animals (land vertebrates) are now cattle, sheep, chicken, etc.
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