According to new research, forests are losing their ability to absorb carbon dioxide. The research focused on 20 years worth of data from more than 30 different sites.

The analysis is crucial as it means that more of the carbon dioxide that we release today will end up in the atmosphere than in trees or soil than was previously predicted and it may help explain other recent research which shows that the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is increasing faster than expected.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that we only have eight years left to prevent the worst effects of global warming. Climate scientist John Miller explains, “We are currently getting a 50% discount on the climatic impact of our fossil fuel emissions. Unfortunately, we have no guarantee that the 50% discount will continue and if it disappears, we will feel the full climatic brunt of our unrelenting emission of CO2 from fossil fuels.”

The research explains why despite a longer growing season for plants, CO2 in the atmosphere is still increasing – in northern countries, spring and autumn temperatures have risen by around 1C over the past 20 years meaning a longer growing season. Looking at the earth from space, this can be seen via a greening of the land. It has always been thought that because the growing season has been extended, more CO2 will then be absorbed by the plants.

However, the latest research shows that this may not be the full story. The research team focused on looking at the times when forests switched from being a net sink for carbon into a net source during the autumn months. It was predicted that the switchover would come at a later date however the data showed that the switchover was happening sooner – sometimes by just a few days, sometimes by a few weeks. This unfortunately means that although the earth may be greening faster in some places, it does not mean it is a positive thing for the carbon balance on earth.

The carbon dioxide trend and effect is difficult to predict, with many different factors contributing and many opposing points of view. One thing is for certain though – if we are serious about reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we should certainly look at reducing our own CO2 emissions, in particular in places such as China where carbon dioxide emissions are growing at an astounding rate.

Popularity: 10% [?]