Maxim Kleyer
Professor Vejdemo-Johansson
HON 223 Seminar
November 22, 2021
Over the last couple of decades, scientists have researched ways to keep massive carbon pockets from rising to the atmosphere through deforestation and other methods. The steady skyward climb of redwoods, the tangled march of mangroves along tropical coasts and the slow submersion of carbon-rich soil in peatlands has locked away billions of tons of carbon. The damage to the environment and world will be noticeable if these vaults were to ever open. With the new mapping project being conducted by scientists, we can now measure how much “irrecoverable” carbon there is, so we can protect these areas from deforestation and impacting our climate. Monica Noon, an environmental data scientist at Conservation International in Arlington, Va, states “Current efforts to keep global warming below the ambitious target of 1.5 degrees C require that we reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and that carbon stored in nature stays put.” The massive amount of carbon stored in the world is estimated to be up to 139 gigatons, and with almost none of these being released, the average temperature of the Earth can become stable. In comparison to the actual research article, Monica Moon and her colleagues develop a step by step strategy detailing important places on the globe where carbon is stored. She states, “Our irrecoverable carbon map identifies irrecoverable carbon reserves that are manageable …. “ and to add onto her statement, the few places with the most carbon stored is the northwest United States, the Amazon Rainforest, and Central Africa. Also, under business as usual all over the globe, it is possible for irrecoverable carbon to be lost each decade due to deforestation alone. In conclusion, deforestation is a major cause of massive carbon emission and the warming of our planet. To stop this, we need to cut down on deforestation on massive carbon vaults to limit the potential disasters looming ahead.
Citations:
- https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-natural-carbon-stores-new-map
- M.L. Noon et al. Mapping the irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems. Nature Sustainability. Published online November 18, 2021. doi: 10.1038/s41893-021-00803-6.
