The global potential for carbon capture and storage from forestry.

Yuanming Ni,Jarl Giske,Jan-Petter Hansen,Gunnar S Eskeland

doi:10.1186/s13021-016-0044-y

Yuanming Ni, Jarl Giske + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13021-016-0044-y

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Abstract

BackgroundDiscussions about limiting anthropogenic emissions of CO_2 often focus on transition to renewable energy sources and on carbon capture and storage (CCS) of CO_2. The potential contributions from forests, forest products and other low-tech strategies are less frequently discussed. Here we develop a new simulation model to assess the global carbon content in forests and apply the model to study active annual carbon harvest 100 years into the future.ResultsThe numerical experiments show that under a hypothetical scenario of globally sustainable forestry the world’s forests could provide a large carbon sink, about one gigatonne per year, due to enhancement of carbon stock in tree biomass. In addition, a large amount of wood, 11.5 GT of carbon per year, could be extracted for reducing CO_2 emissions by substitution of wood for fossil fuels.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that carbon harvest from forests and carbon storage in living forests have a significant potential for CCS on a global scale.

Highlights

Discussions about limiting anthropogenic emissions of CO2 often focus on transition to renewable energy sources and on carbon capture and storage (CCS) of CO2
It will require a transition to CO2 free energy sources in many applications, and/or CCS from facilities such as fossil-based power plants
Starting from 372 GtC, total carbon content is seen to increase to 530 GtC

Summary

Introduction

Discussions about limiting anthropogenic emissions of CO2 often focus on transition to renewable energy sources and on carbon capture and storage (CCS) of CO2. According to the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC), a reduction of the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere is necessary to avoid global warming beyond two degrees [1]. It will require a transition to CO2 free energy sources in many applications, and/or CCS from facilities such as fossil-based power plants. CO2 free energy requires a significant build-up of nuclear and/or renewable power production, which involves large initial economic investments [3]. Industrial CCS requires energy and costly facilities and the captured gas has to be transported and stored in stable geological formations [4]. The cost of the capture process itself is estimated to

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