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Journal Article

Protecting irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems

Authors

Goldstein,  Allie
External Organizations;

Turner,  Will R.
External Organizations;

Spawn,  Seth A.
External Organizations;

Anderson-Teixeira,  Kristina J.
External Organizations;

Cook-Patton,  Susan
External Organizations;

Fargione,  Joseph
External Organizations;

Gibbs,  Holly K.
External Organizations;

Griscom,  Bronson
External Organizations;

Hewson,  Jennifer H.
External Organizations;

Howard,  Jennifer F.
External Organizations;

Ledezma,  Juan Carlos
External Organizations;

Page,  Susan
External Organizations;

Koh,  Lian Pin
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/johan.rockstrom

Rockström,  Johan
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Sanderman,  Jonathan
External Organizations;

Hole,  David G.
External Organizations;

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Citation

Goldstein, A., Turner, W. R., Spawn, S. A., Anderson-Teixeira, K. J., Cook-Patton, S., Fargione, J., Gibbs, H. K., Griscom, B., Hewson, J. H., Howard, J. F., Ledezma, J. C., Page, S., Koh, L. P., Rockström, J., Sanderman, J., Hole, D. G. (2020): Protecting irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems. - Nature Climate Change, 10, 4, 287-295.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0738-8


Cite as: https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_24445
Abstract
Avoiding catastrophic climate change requires rapid decarbonization and improved ecosystem stewardship. To achieve the latter, ecosystems should be prioritized by responsiveness to direct, localized action and the magnitude and recoverability of their carbon stores. Here, we show that a range of ecosystems contain ‘irrecoverable carbon’ that is vulnerable to release upon land use conversion and, once lost, is not recoverable on timescales relevant to avoiding dangerous climate impacts. Globally, ecosystems highly affected by human land-use decisions contain at least 260 Gt of irrecoverable carbon, with particularly high densities in peatlands, mangroves, old-growth forests and marshes. To achieve climate goals, we must safeguard these irrecoverable carbon pools through an expanded set of policy and finance strategies.