Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Author Spotlight: On-Site Biochar Production for Woody Debris Incineration in Forestry
Published on: January 5, 2024
Land availability and policy commitments limit global climate mitigation from forestation
Yijie Wang1, Yakun Zhu1, Susan C Cook-Patton2,3
1School of Atmospheric Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Atmosphere-Ocean System (Ministry of Education), Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Climate Change and Natural Disaster Studies, Sun Yat-sen University, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China.
None:
Forestation (afforestation and reforestation) could mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon within biomass and soils. However, global mitigation from forestation remains uncertain owing to varying estimates of carbon sequestration rates (notably in soil) and land availability. In this study, we developed global maps of soil carbon change that reveal carbon gains and losses with forestation, primarily in the topsoil. Constraining land availability to avoid unintended albedo-induced warming and safeguard water and biodiversity (389 million hectares available for forestation globally) would sequester 39.9 petagrams of carbon by 2050, substantially below previous estimates. This estimate drops to 12.5 petagrams of carbon with land further limited to existing policy commitments (120 million hectares). Achieving greater mitigation requires expanding dedicated forestation areas and strengthening commitments from nations with considerable but untapped potential.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Global Climate Change
Threats to Biodiversity
What is Climate?
Habitat Fragmentation
The Carbon Cycle
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

