Commentary
Nature Geoscience 2, 737 - 738 (2009)
doi:10.1038/ngeo671
CO2 emissions from forest loss
G. R. van der Werf1, D. C. Morton2, R. S. DeFries3, J. G. J. Olivier4, P. S. Kasibhatla5, R. B. Jackson5, G. J. Collatz2 & J. T. Randerson6
- Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences,VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
- Hydrospheric and Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, Code 614.4, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA,
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, 10th Floor Schermerhorn Extension, 1200 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, New York 10027, USA
- Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, PO Box 303, 3720AH Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, USA and
- Earth System Science Department, 3212 Croul Hall, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA.
Correspondence to: G. R. van der Werf1 e-mail: guido.van.der.werf@falw.vu.nl
Abstract
Deforestation is the second largest anthropogenic source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, after fossil fuel combustion. Following a budget reanalysis, the contribution from deforestation is revised downwards, but tropical peatlands emerge as a notable carbon dioxide source.
