Carbon stocks and sequestration in terrestrial and marine ecosystems: a lever for nature restoration?

Summary:

Climate change mitigation and nature restoration are two sides of the same coin when it comes to achieving two main objectives of the European Green Deal; climate neutrality and increasing the EU’s natural capital. Well-functioning habitats can take up and store large amounts of carbon, reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and greenhouse gas emissions from land use practices.

To use nature’s full potential, we need to know (1) the carbon storage and sequestration potential of European habitats in their present condition and how much carbon can be used to meet EU emissions policy targets; and (2) the measures available to increase carbon storage in habitats, and the synergies and trade-offs between these measures and ecosystem function. This briefing addresses these questions.

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source

Official

European Environment Agency (EU EEA): News, 27/04/2022: What role can Europe’s land and marine habitats play in carbon storage and sequestration? https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/what-role-can-europes-land

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