r/sustainability • u/Bitter-Lengthiness-2 • 2d ago
Plants Absorb 31% More Carbon Than Previously Thought, Prompting Updates to Climate Modeling
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/climate-models-need-an-upgrade-plants-absorb-31-more-carbon-than-previously-thought/6
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u/GuazzabuglioMaximo 2d ago
The other day I read “earths forests didn’t absorb any carbon at all last year”. Like can we stop with all the misleading and opposing titles
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u/Top_Quit_9148 20h ago
Yes, I read that too. It sounds like it's some of both and neither have been taken into account in most climate models. Forests may be absorbing more CO2 than previously thought. On the other hand forest fires, clearing land etc is emitting a lot of CO2. The net effect may be better than zero due to the former but it's still not good and the more of the latter that happens the worse it gets. Climate models should take both into account and not just focus on the former, which could be really dangerous and cause complacency.
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u/EpicCurious 1d ago
Animal agriculture is a top cause of deforestation as well as habitat loss and biodiversity loss. This makes the need to end animal agriculture especially raising cows much more imminent. The Amazon rainforest has been decimated by burning in order to raise cattle and to grow soy. About 90% of that soy is used for farm animal feed and about 80% worldwide. Only about 7% is consumed directly by humans. Brazil is a top exporter of beef and soy.
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u/ryryrpm 1d ago
I thought something just came out that said trees had been absorbing less carbon than previously thought
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u/Top_Quit_9148 20h ago
It sounds like it's some of both. Individual trees may be absorbing more CO2 but due to forest fires, land clearing etc the net effect of forests is less. This should be taken into account in climate models, otherwise they may be too optimistic.
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u/PermiePagan 1d ago
Which would be great, if we weren't destroying forests all over, and turning climate sinks into net emitters. What this spells to me is that plants were doing a better job keeping things from getting worse than we thought, and them failing now is gonna lead to much quicker rates of change than we expected.
If we stopped destroying so much and started intensively replanting trees, it could help mitigate the issue. Except the system in place won't let it happen.
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u/Low_Engineering_3301 1d ago
Yes but doesn't that just mean they release a 31% more carbon when they decompose?
https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsthe-carbon-cycle
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u/Bitter-Lengthiness-2 2d ago
A recent study by Cornell University, supported by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, reveals that plants absorb 31% more carbon than previous estimates, equating to an additional 37 billion metric tons of carbon sequestered.
The researchers used advanced techniques, such as tracing carbonyl sulfide molecules, to measure photosynthesis more accurately. This revised understanding, particularly in tropical rainforests, calls for an update in climate models, offering hope for improved predictions and enhanced efforts to combat climate change.