Carbon-absorbing forests could soon become carbon emissions culprits
FEAST YOUR EYES- Some trees may soon be emitting carbon instead of oxygen: Stunning photos from the Financial Times accompany a warning that boreal forests storing vast amounts of carbon could become mass carbon emitters. Boreal forests are vast areas of conifer trees that make up about a third of all Earth’s forests. Historically, they absorbed more carbon than they released, making them the “biggest land-based carbon store on Earth,” the FT reports.
Now, rising subarctic temperatures are bringing them dangerously close to a tipping point. These trees could start releasing more carbon than they absorb due to thawing permafrost, insect infestations and swelling fire activity. This could potentially spell catastrophe for our attempts to keep global temperature increases below 1.5°C. The FT notes that Russia’s half of the boreal forests have become virtually inaccessible to the international scientists who had been researching how they’re affected by climate change. The culprit: the Russia-Ukraine war.