Mitigation
Global Carbon Budget 2015BackgroundThe "Global Carbon Budget 2015” updates the global CO2 budget through 2014, a year when atmospheric CO2 reached 397.15 ppm and monthly values exceeded 400 ppm for the first time globally. The assessment highlights the continued dominance of fossil fuel and industrial CO2 emissions, with land-use change remaining a significant but smaller source. It places these trends within the broader industrial era, with CO2 increasing from about 277 ppm in 1750, and ongoing growth in energy use and economic activity. Open access copy available |
Global carbon budget 2014Background“Global carbon budget 2014” details the development of human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and how they are distributed among the atmosphere, ocean, and land up to 2013, with estimates for 2014. Atmospheric CO2 levels increased from about 277 ppm in 1750 to 395.31 ppm in 2013 and continue to rise as fossil fuel burning and land-use changes remain the main causes. This paper places these patterns within the context of industrial-era growth, international trade, and the differences between emerging and Annex B economies. Open access copy available |
Global carbon budget 2013Background“Global carbon budget 2013” updates the living carbon budget series through 2012, documenting continued growth in anthropogenic Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and atmospheric concentrations. Atmospheric CO2 rises from about 277 ppm in 1750 to 392.52 ± 0.10 ppm on average in 2012, with daily values exceeding 400 ppm at Mauna Loa in May 2013, symbolizing entry into a new high CO2 regime. The paper positions this trend against persistent fossil fuel dependence and ongoing land-use change, particularly deforestation. Open access copy available |
The global carbon budget 1959–2011Background“The global carbon budget 1959-2011” synthesizes more than five decades of anthropogenic Carbon dioxide (CO2) perturbations to the global carbon cycle, from early industrialization to contemporary high-emission conditions. It documents atmospheric CO2 increasing from about 278 ppm in 1750 to 391.31 ± 0.13 ppm by the end of 2011, with fossil fuel combustion replacing land-use change as the dominant source from around 1920. The paper frames these trends within persistent natural exchanges among atmosphere, ocean, and land, which are overlaid by human-driven emissions. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2010BackgroundThe “Carbon Budget 2010” assessment situates fossil fuel and land-use carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the context of post-2008 financial crisis recovery and longer-term industrial-era growth. It highlights the rapid expansion of emissions in emerging economies, especially China and India, against slower growth or declines in several developed countries. The work emphasizes that fossil fuel and cement emissions have grown from about 1% yr⁻¹ in the 1990s to over 3% yr⁻¹ in 2000–2010, intensifying pressure on the climate system. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2025Background“Global Carbon Budget 2025” extends the living dataset on anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among atmosphere, ocean, and land, updating trends through 2024, and providing preliminary 2025 estimates. Atmospheric CO2 has risen from about 278 ppm in 1750 to 422.8 ± 0.1 ppm in 2024, with recent growth amplified by the 2023–2024 El Niño event. This paper highlights the continued dominance of fossil fuel emissions, persistent sources of land-use change, and climate-driven modulation of land and ocean sinks within the broader carbon-climate system. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2024Background“Global Carbon Budget 2024” assesses how anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions disrupt the global carbon cycle relative to pre-industrial conditions, when atmospheric CO2 was about 278 ppm in 1750. The study focuses on emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change and how these are partitioned between the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere. Recent changes, in the context of long-term trends since 1958, emphasize the role of deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and climate variability, such as El Niño, in shaping CO2 fluxes. Open access copy available |
Decreasing landscape carbon storage in western US forests with 2 °C of warmingBackgroundThis study investigates how a 2°C increase in global mean temperature above pre-industrial levels could alter above-ground carbon storage in forests across the western United States, a region already experiencing climate-driven tree mortality, reduced regeneration, and more frequent fire and insect outbreaks. Forest carbon density is treated as a “carbon carrying capacity” controlled by climate and disturbance regimes, and there is concern that warming and drying will shift many areas towards lower carbon forest or non-forest states, with implications for climate mitigation and carbon offset projects. Open access copy available |
Elevation, aspect, and climate shape blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) biomass and carbon dynamics in the Bhutanese HimalayasBackgroundForests cover over two-thirds of Bhutan and are constitutionally protected, enabling national carbon neutrality. Yet, climate change, increasing temperatures, variable precipitation, and heightened wildfire risk threaten carbon storage capacity and species distributions. Blue pine is a fast-growing, socio-economically important species dominating inner dry valleys between roughly 2200–3000 m, making it an ideal model to understand how elevation and slope aspect regulate biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration under changing climate conditions. Open access copy available |
Valuing natural capital and ecosystem services toward the goals of efficiency, fairness, and sustainabilityBackgroundNatural capital (NC) and ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to sustaining human life, but valuing them requires a whole-system understanding of the interdependencies between humans and nature. Conventional economic valuation, based solely on individual willingness-to-pay, is too narrow for this complex task. Available with subscription or purchase |
