No more excuses: restoring nature is not a silver bullet for global warming, we must cut emissions outright

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:11:36 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/no-more-excuses-restoring-nature-is-not-a-silver-bullet-for-global-warming-we-must-cut-emissions-outright-186048>

"Restoring degraded environments, such as by planting trees, is often touted as
a solution to the climate crisis. But our new research shows this, while
important, is no substitute for preventing fossil fuel emissions to limit
global warming.

We calculated the maximum potential for responsible nature restoration to
absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. And we found that, combined with
ending deforestation by 2030, this could reduce global warming 0.18°C by 2100.
In comparison, current pledges from countries put us on track for 1.9-2℃
warming.

This is far from what’s needed to mitigate the catastrophic impacts of climate
change, and is well above the 1.5℃ goal of the Paris Agreement. And it pours
cold water on the idea we can offset our way out of ongoing global warming.

The priority remains rapidly phasing out fossil fuels, which have contributed
86% of all CO₂ emissions in the past decade. Deforestation must also end, with
land use, deforestation and forest degradation contributing 11% of global
emissions."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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