Natural climate solutions (NCS) could counterbalance 6% of industrial CO2 emissions in China throughout 2020–2030, by trapping carbon within ecosystems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing 62% of these NCS would cost ≤US$50 per megagram of CO2 equivalent. NCS can contribute substantially to climate mitigation if appropriate planning strategies are employed.
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References
Griscom, B. W. et al. Natural climate solutions. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 114, 11645–11650 (2017). This is the first paper to quantify the climate mitigation effects of global NCS and their contribution towards achieving the global climate goals.
Nolan, C. J., Field, C. B. & Mach, K. J. Constraints and enablers for increasing carbon storage in the terrestrial biosphere. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 2, 436–446 (2021). A review paper presenting the biogeochemical and economic and governance constraints of NCS.
Matthews, H. D. et al. Temporary nature-based carbon removal can lower peak warming in a well-below 2 °C scenario. Commun. Earth Environ. 3, 65 (2022). This paper reports that there is a risk that carbon stored by NCS could be lost back to the atmosphere owing to disturbances.
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This is a summary of: Lu, N. et al. Biophysical and economic constraints on China’s natural climate solutions. Nat. Clim. Change https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01432-3 (2022).
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Effective land management strategies can help climate mitigation in China. Nat. Clim. Chang. 12, 789–790 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01440-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-022-01440-3