Monitoring
Harnessing Biomass and Blue Carbon Potential: Estimating Carbon Stocks in the Vital Wetlands of Eastern Sumatra, IndonesiaBackgroundMangrove forests can store significantly more carbon per hectare than other tropical forests, making mangrove conservation an important strategy for climate change mitigation. Since mangrove forests are highly heterogeneous, site-specific observations and models are important to inform mangrove conservation. This study combines field observations of living biomass and soil carbon stocks with mathematical models to document the potential for mangrove conservation to sustain important carbon sinks in Indonesia. Open access copy available |
Realizing the social value of impermanent carbon creditsBackgroundNature-based solutions (NbS) for carbon sequestration provide additional benefits outside of climate change mitigation, such as protecting biodiversity and local livelihoods. However, NbS projects struggle with financing due to challenges demonstrating additionality, avoiding overestimation of carbon storage, establishing metrics to compare NbS with technological projects, and accounting for project impermanence (i.e., the future risk of carbon being released into the atmosphere due to fires, deforestation, disease, or severe weather events). Open access copy available |
Assessing the Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Mangrove Loss in Indonesia: A Synthesis for Science-Based PolicyBackgroundIndonesia’s rate of mangrove loss has accelerated to about 40% over the past 30 years. Despite the government’s policies and investments for mitigating mangrove degradation, low seedling survival, and poor site suitability have impeded restoration progress. This study aims to review mangrove loss in Indonesia and assess the negative impacts of mangrove loss on carbon stocks, local livelihoods, and ecosystem benefits (e.g., fisheries, coastal protection, biodiversity). Open access copy available |
Enhancing climate change mitigation in protected areasBackgroundProtected areas (PAs) cover roughly 15–17% of the Earth’s land surface and contain a large share of remaining intact ecosystems, many of which store high densities of carbon. With global terrestrial ecosystems absorbing about 3 GtC yr⁻¹, understanding how much of this sink is associated with PAs is important for integrating biodiversity and climate strategies. However, evidence on PA effectiveness for carbon protection, across thousands of sites and multiple biomes, is dispersed and unevenly synthesized. Open access copy available |
Aboveground and belowground tree biomass and carbon stocks in the miombo woodlands of the Copperbelt in ZambiaBackgroundMiombo Woodlands occupy an estimated 2.7 million km² across southern Africa and support millions of people through fuelwood, charcoal, and non-timber products, while also storing substantial carbon. In Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, woodland conversion and degradation for charcoal and agriculture risk reducing carbon stocks, but local biomass values are poorly constrained, leading to uncertainty in national estimates and REDD+ baselines. This study responds to the need for site-specific biomass and carbon data in one of Zambia’s most industrialized and heavily used miombo regions. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2023Background“Global Carbon Budget 2023” extends this annual budget series with data up to 2022 and a projection for 2023, including for the first time explicit treatment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and new constraints from atmospheric oxygen measurements. Atmospheric CO2 averages 417.1 ± 0.1 ppm in 2022 and is projected to reach about 419.3 ppm in 2023, reflecting continued net accumulation despite temporary pandemic-related emission reductions. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2022Background“Global Carbon Budget 2022” extends the series of budgets to 2021 with a projection for 2022, documenting that fossil carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions likely surpass pre-COVID pandemic levels. Atmospheric CO2 growth remains high, with decadal mean growth around 5.2 GtC yr⁻¹ for 2012-2021 and concentrations exceeding 414 ppm. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2021Background“Global Carbon Budget 2021” updates the budget to 2020 and projects 2021, analyzing the rebound of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions after the initial downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic. Atmospheric CO2 continues to increase, with decadal mean growth reaching ~5.1 GtC yr⁻¹ for 2011–2020 and concentrations surpassing 412 ppm. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2020Background“Global Carbon Budget 2020” quantifies the carbon dioxide (CO2) budget through 2019 and provides a 2020 projection, capturing the emissions drop associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Atmospheric CO2 nevertheless continues to rise, reflecting the cumulative effect of past emissions and the fact that sinks absorb only part of the annual anthropogenic CO2. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2019Background“Global Carbon Budget 2019” extends the budget series through 2018 with a 2019 projection, during a period of record-high emissions and intensifying policy focus on net-zero targets. Atmospheric CO2 continues to rise, crossing ~407 ppm in 2018, driven primarily by fossil fuel combustion with significant but smaller contributions from land-use change. This paper situates these trajectories within the industrial-era cumulative emissions that underpin IPCC remaining carbon budget assessments. Open access copy available |
