Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study

CO2 removal by forests and oceans nothing for net zero balance Keystone-SDA

The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should be removed from net-zero calculations of climate protection measures, according to a research paper.

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The researchers, led by the University of Oxford and with the participation of the University of Bern, published a corresponding study in the journal Nature on Monday. They call on countries and companies to adapt their approach, as otherwise global warming will not be halted.

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Natural CO2 sinks such as forests, soils and oceans play an important role in mitigating climate change. Since industrialisation, they have removed around half of the carbon dioxide emitted by humans from the atmosphere, according to the press release.

These natural sink services are often included in climate protection measures by countries and companies in order to compensate for their own emissions. “Forests and oceans have already absorbed some of our past emissions. We cannot expect them to absorb our future emissions as well,” explained Myles Allen, head of the study.

It is therefore important to make a clear distinction between natural and human sinks. Otherwise, a country could appear to have reached net zero while still contributing to the ongoing warming, according to study co-author Thomas Stocker from the Oeschger Center for Climate Research at the University of Bern.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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