Ambitious reductions come first, then natural sinks
In this issue, we present an exciting topic and introduce a new face. Before you read on to discover a wealth of information about natural carbon sinks, the Oeko-Institut’s research on this topic and external experts’ perspectives in the following pages, I would like to briefly introduce myself: I took over from Jan Peter Schemmel as the Oeko-Institut’s Chief Executive Officer on 1 January this year and, in this role, I am delighted to welcome you to eco@work.
This issue of our magazine focuses mainly on forests, peatlands and seagrass meadows – in other words, on ecosystems that can absorb and sequester carbon. They thus have a key role to play in mitigating climate change. However, they themselves are under threat from the impacts of climate change. A key point to note is that the first step in protecting the climate is always to reduce emissions as far as possible. But even in the most ambitious scenario, residual emissions remain – from agriculture, for example. These emissions can be offset by natural carbon sinks or by using technical options to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In the following pages, we look at natural sinks: the status quo, their potentialities, and the opportunities to strengthen their capacities.
I live in the area around Freiburg, with woodlands close by. I see a lot of wood from the forest being burned for fuel. Should we continue to use our forests in this way? I think not. The fact is that the combustion process releases the CO2 that was previously locked away in the timber for decades. We have more efficient and more climate-friendly heating options available, as well as more sustainable uses for this precious resource – as insulation and building material, for example. More sustainable use of our forests can also strengthen their function as carbon sinks.
Preserving natural carbon sinks is a long-term task. A forest takes time to grow. Restoring a peatland also takes time and a great deal of planning. This means that if we aim to be climate-neutral by 2045, we must start strengthening the capacities of our natural carbon sinks right now. We must also keep the CO2 that is already locked away in timber and soil out of the atmosphere for as long as possible. So next time you’re in the forest, perhaps – after reading this issue – you’ll appreciate not only its wonderful scent and calming tranquillity, but also the gift that the forests give us for the future.
Yours,
Christof Timpe
CEO, Oeko-Institut