Forests are a stabilising force for the climate. They regulate ecosystems, protect biodiversity, play an integral part in the carbon cycle, support livelihoods, and supply goods and services that can drive sustainable growth.
Forests’ role in climate change is two-fold. They act as both a cause and a solution for greenhouse gas emissions. Around 25% of global emissions come from the land sector, the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions after the energy sector. About half of these (5-10 GtCO2e annually) comes from deforestation and forest degradation.
Forests are also one of the most important solutions to addressing the effects of climate change. Approximately 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, is absorbed by forests every year. Estimates show that nearly two billion hectares of degraded land across the world – an area the size of South America – offer opportunities for restoration. Increasing and maintaining forests is therefore an essential solution to climate change.
Halting the loss and degradation of forest ecosystems and promoting their restoration have the potential to contribute over one-third of the total climate change mitigation that scientists say is required by 2030 to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
Other benefits in support of both people and nature are considerable:
IUCN’s forest work tackles the role of trees and forests in building resilience to climate change in several ways:
Today, more and more consumers are demanding forest products from sustainable sources, and an increasing number of major palm oil, timber, paper and other forest product corporations are beginning the conversion to deforestation-free supply chains.
In addition to creating and maintaining protected areas and launching initiatives towards more sustainable management, many countries, subnational governments and private landowners are restoring degraded and deforested land. This helps to take pressure off healthy, intact forests and reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.
As the world debates how to operationalise the Paris Agreement, it is imperative that national leaders accelerate these actions. This can be done by subscribing to and implementing the New York Declaration on Forests, sustain forest climate financing, and include forest and land use in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
Nature – and in particular, trees and forests – can and must be part of the solution to keeping the climate within the globally accepted two-degree temperature increase limit.
Driving the restoration of 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes and forest lands by 2030 through the Bonn Challenge and related regional initiativesExpanding protected areas, including indigenous, privately owned and community conservation areas, in ways that enhance the landscape’s resilience and stabilise and store carbon |
IUCN supports and assists climate change mitigation and adaptation through its global network of thousands of members and partners in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania. As a Union of State and Non-State members, IUCN is able to support climate change action from setting goals and generating new knowledge, through to implementation on the ground.
eyesonsuriname 1. Historical Context The longstanding territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela has its roots…
eyesonsuriname A European infrastructure for carbon capture and storage is underway. Today, arrangements between Denmark,…
Coming Global Leader eyesonbrasil Amsterdam, May 2nd 20244– Brazil’s state-run Petrobras oil company announced this…
eyesonsuriname 1. Introduction Nestled on the northeastern coast of South America, Suriname boasts a pristine…
Norway leads eyesonproject Amsterdam, 29 april 2024 — ‘Plastic pollution is one of the fastest…
Growing exploration activities eyesonsuriname Amsterdam, 27 april 2024-- Hess Corporation said exploration activities are planned this…