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Heat Stress Threatens Forests, Undermining India's Climate Plan
25 Nov
Summary
- Forests absorb less CO2 during heat extremes, impacting India's net-zero goal.
- India ranks fifth globally in carbon sequestration by forests.
- Wetlands and blue carbon ecosystems are undervalued and under-monitored.
New scientific evidence reveals that forests and blue-carbon ecosystems are absorbing less carbon dioxide under heat stress, jeopardizing India's Net Zero by 2070 pathway. Intense warm extremes diminish plants' photosynthetic capacity, reducing their ability to sequester carbon. This vulnerability was highlighted when natural sinks absorbed less CO2 than anticipated recently, narrowing the timeframe for decarbonization efforts.
India, ranked fifth globally for forest carbon sinks, faces a critical challenge. While tree cover is increasing, its functional capacity to absorb carbon is uncertain due to heat, drought, and fragmentation. Wetlands and coastal blue carbon, storing significant soil carbon, are largely excluded from climate accounting, hindering their mitigation potential.
To address this, India must stress-test climate plans against sink weakening, adopt an 'Avoid, Restore, Measure' framework, and elevate wetlands and blue carbon in policy. Diversifying mitigation efforts to include technological removals alongside nature-based solutions, while ensuring long-term maintenance budgets for living infrastructure, is crucial for resilient climate action.
