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Evaluating nature-based solutions for climate mitigation and conservation requires comprehensive carbon accounting
Heather Keith1, Michael Vardon2, Carl Obst3
1Griffith Climate Change Response Program, Griffith University, Queensland 4222, Australia.
The Science of the Total Environment
|March 19, 2021
Summary
A new carbon accounting method focusing on the whole carbon cycle, including stocks and flows, is proposed. This approach reveals the greater climate benefits of protecting natural forest carbon stocks over solely focusing on sequestration rates.
Area of Science:
- Environmental accounting
- Climate change mitigation
- Ecosystem services
Background:
- Current carbon accounting for nature-based solutions (NbS) focuses on flows, not stocks, leading to suboptimal outcomes.
- This flow-based approach incentivizes young forests, overlooking the greater climate benefits of protecting large, stable carbon stocks in mature forests.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a comprehensive carbon accounting approach for NbS that includes the whole carbon cycle (stocks and flows).
- To highlight the limitations of current flow-based accounting and demonstrate the benefits of a stock-inclusive method for climate mitigation.
Main Methods:
- Developing a holistic carbon accounting framework encompassing all carbon reservoirs, their condition, stability, and disaggregated flows.
- Integrating ecosystem services measurement within an ecosystem accounting framework.
- Utilizing field data to compare stock-based versus flow-based accounting outcomes.
Main Results:
- Flow-based accounting can obscure the significant climate mitigation benefits of preserving large, stable carbon stocks.
- A comprehensive approach reveals trade-offs and benefits of NbS for climate mitigation and sustainability.
- The proposed method provides a more accurate assessment of NbS effectiveness.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive, whole-carbon-cycle accounting approach is essential for effective NbS implementation.
- Revising ecosystem accounting systems (e.g., System of Environmental-Economic Accounting) is crucial for evidence-based decision-making.
- This approach supports international conventions on climate, biodiversity, and sustainability.
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